a Loser like Me
by XxMusicxKelseyxX
Summary: AU set in the late 60s during the era of greaser culture. Jughead deals with the consequences of breaking social protocol and socializing with people outside of his status. Swearing and mild violence. BettyxJughead
1. Of Pilots and Prologues

Sometimes I think back to how I got here and a cold rush flows through me. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

My name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III but don't you dare call me that. My dad, of the same name, goes by FP. I personally go by Jughead. It's a nickname I got as a kid because I had large ears. So yeah, I looked kind of like a jug. Ha ha. Probably a big part of why I cover them with my beanie that looks like a Whoopee cap. I belong to a class of people in south Riverdale called greasers. It's not something most of us want to be, but the oppressive class structure have sorted me into this box. It's an all out class war between us greasers and the snotty upper crust chavs and prepsters. That being said, my three best friends are from that class.

Betty Cooper isn't dingy and tainted. She's all suburbs and simplicity; I mean that as a compliment. Her neighbor, Archie Andrews, is a family friend since we're as tight as our fathers were the generation before. The kind of bond that transcends petty bullshit like dividing people by money.

Our last friend moved into town a few years back and is a bit naïve. He's the sheriff's son so he would like to believe we live in a place without these problems. He's a bit oblivious. I actually made friends with him because Archie's other friend, Veronica Lodge, thought he was really attractive and I happened to know through a reliable source that he was gay. That sting of rejection made my day. Ronnie and I just don't get along, not even when she's dating Archie. I just think she's all show and no go. I don't really have any friends in my own faction, because I'm a loner I guess. The only other friend I have is a burger.

Speaking of Burgers, there's this place right next to the tracks called Pop's and I practically lived there. Only business in town that never closes, except for a few hours on Christmas. It's _safe._ My actual home is a run down trailer in a park with my dad. My mom hightailed it out of there when my sister was little, but she was a firm believer in boys versus girls so I got left behind with the drunken failure I mentioned earlier. I sometimes went to school, but I was often late because I scored a job as the projectionist at the Twilight Drive-In. I kept a bunch of stuff there, too, for the more tense nights at home. I'm sure my dad blamed me for my mom's departure about as much as I blamed him. Though in the end I'm kind of relieved. I like to believe the town they ended up in, Toledo, didn't have the same level of animosity like we had here. Maybe Jellybean wouldn't get bullied for being poor.

On this night at the movies, we were showing To Kill a Mocking Bird. I had a leather bound edition by Harper Lee sitting on my desk by the projector. I settled in with a bunch of hot dogs. It's one of the few movies that lives up to the book it's adapted from. It's a work of art, really. Sometimes during a scene, I'd flip through the pages for a comparison. That's exactly what I was doing when Betty came in. Her face was blotchy and I could tell right away what had happened.

Archie Andrews had two girlfriends; his girlfriend, and his backup gal. Betty, of course, was the backup gal. Surprisingly, she actually got along quite well with Veronica, and Veronica often yelled at Archie for his accidental poor treatment of our favourite blonde. Hell one time when him and Ron were off, he skipped Betty entirely and went on a date with the embodiment of Cherry Cream Soda, Cheryl Blossom.

On this particular night, Archie and Veronica started making out instead of watching the movie, leaving Betty to awkwardly third wheel until she decided to join me in the projection booth. This is the third time this had happened so far, and she was clearly running thin. She threw up her hands in exasperation and didn't even have to say anything. I just knew. I sighed, trusting the projector to do it's job as I took her outside and went to get more snacks. It was going to be a long night, so I figure I might as well get loaded up. We usually just stayed inside the booth, so this is a marked departure from the norm.

I could hear snickers, they follow me everywhere, so I just rolled my eyes. Betty, however, looked around terrified, and then it hit me. I felt like a complete moron. People didn't usually see Betty and I together. I cursed under my breath upon understanding the repercussions. It was like stepping into the Outsiders by Hinton. That whole story basically started with a guy like me hanging out with a girl like her in a place just like this, right down to the concession stand. I left as fast as I could and by then Betty was so worried about my reaction and sudden paleness that she forgot about her cad of a best friend.

"I'm such an idiot, Betty. You know, I can take it. All I hear is whispers when I enter a room. That's normal for me. But you, you have so much going for you and I fucked it all up by openly showing that you associate with a greasy weirdo like me." I threw my head in my hands in frustration. She gave me a small smile. She didn't think she cared, but I knew she would. I'm not the kind of person anyone admits to associating with. I was considering just staying the night here in the booth, but somewhere along the way Archie forgot it was movie night and not a date and drove off without his girl Friday. _Of course._ At times like these I almost liked Veronica more. At least she didn't have the same kind of loyalty to betray. So here I was, like a schmuck, walking Betty home because it was too dark out. Mrs Cooper was probably going to throw a fit at the Andrews residence later. I didn't care because I kind of felt he deserved it. We had been growing apart ever since high school, probably due to his interest in women and my lack there of. Betty was the only girl who wasn't blood in my world. I'd put up with Veronica, but that was as far as I would go. Ethal Muggs tried to befriend me a few years back and it was a solid no from me. It's best if people just call me a woman hater. I prefer that to chasing skirt. I'd rather chase burgers.

Betty thanked me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheak before I left. Alice Cooper thanked me, too, which was weird because Archie always told me she was a hard ass. Maybe she has a weakness for boys who help her daughter when said daughter's friends forget that there's a world around them.

I was going to go to Pop's to grab a bunch of burgers for me and a meal for my dad. He didn't really cook and I figured this was better than a TV dinner. Plus I was a bit spooked from my realization earlier and felt that being in more public spaces would be a safer course of action. As it turns out, I have poor street smarts or something because I was very wrong.

I had just left when Chuck Clayton came and attempted to whack me with a crowbar. To get you up to speed, Chuck is the king jock in our respectable high school. He takes it upon himself to keep the social heirarchy in order and put us all in our place, which is ironic because he can't force me to go to Southside High where he clearly would think I belong. I guess attempted is the wrong word. It didn't hit quite like he wanted but I did tumble down and drop the food, causing it to spill out of the bag.

"Do you defile pretty girls because nobody would want any from your end of town? Stay away from Betty Cooper." It was simply a warning, or maybe even a threat, and he walked off, but if he thought that would stop me then he had another thing coming. My lip was split and I limped home with a smile. I wasn't going to let that dumb jock boss me around, us greasers fight back.


	2. Of Course This Means War

My father either didn't notice or didn't care when I got home. Didn't even say a word. The next day at school I was left well enough alone. I think it was the menacing smile I wore, which means it worked. I was going for a "don't mess with me because I'm not afraid of a fight" vibe. I probably would have gotten heckled over yesterday for it.

Now normally I don't even see much of my friends at school so as to avoid trouble, but the moment Betty saw me, she dropped what she was doing and ran into me like a hurricane. At least someone cared what happened to me. All of a sudden the whispers were back. A part of me wanted to push her back and save her from social suicide, but I was a bit thick from being beat up and embraced the attention as of it was a big middle finger to "the man" or, in this case, Chuck. He growled at us and she ran her thumb over my lip. Maybe it was the insinuations around us or maybe that's just what happens when you're so close and a very attractive girl is touching your lip but I felt the sudden urge to kiss her. Never before in my life had I wanted to touch anyone with my lips aside from maybe my mother, and it felt like I was being electricuted.

"What happened?" She was gentle, tender, and totally Betty. She looked so concerned, like I was the biggest star in her universe and in some ways at that moment I was. It was exhilarating. Just because I was an introverted outcast doesn't mean I don't also crave attention and human contact like everyone else, something I was routinely denied most of my life.

"I lost my footing in the dark. Don't worry so much, Betts. You look better with a smile than a frown." Everyone knew I was lying, but even though I wanted to pick a fight with Chuck, I wasn't stupid enough to admit he roughed me up. That was the sort of thing that could stop him from getting into university on a football scholarship, and without that he would have nothing to lose. That's a dangerous game to play with s narcissist like Chuck who thinks he's the sun in our galaxy. I hope getting into a university with other football scholarship kids might knock him down a peg or two. Maybe in his required classes, he'll have to look up the term "humbled."

At lunch hour she cornered me again and we went somewhere a bit more private to avoid eevesdroppers. At least that's what I told her but I also just wanted us to be alone, even if that was probably a terrible idea with my newly blossoming feelings. I admitted that it was Chuck, and she was stuck between wanting to go over and tell him off and just crying into my shoulder. She ended up fisting her hands on my jacket and doing the latter. She felt it was her fault but she also had a strong sense of fairness, and I happened to get the short end of the stick a lot in life. In hindsight this is probably why she was never judgemental, even though I kept my worst demons under lock and key. She asked me to walk her to class and the damage had already been done so I did. She squeezed my hand.

After school I was cornered by Archie. The irony was palpable but he was too dense to get it.

"How could you do that to her?!" He wasn't quite yelling but he was loud. I chuckled.

"I walked her home since the people she came with made her feel unwelcome and took off without her. What was I supposed to do? Let her walk home alone and let her get jumped? Then you'd really be yelling. Relax, Archie. As you can see," I pointed to my lip, "I'm the one taking all the heat. Betty's a big girl. I wouldn't ask for the social problems she's having, but she can take care of herself."

"Maybe just cool off and lay low for a bit, man. I heard Chuck Clayton talking in the locker room and he was not happy about you ignoring his 'message' apparently. She's out of your league in the social hierarchy."

"Pfft, like I'll ever let some spoiled brat tell me what to do and who I can or cannot be with. I'm surprised at you, though, Arch. I thought you knew me better than this. I'm not interested in anyone that way, let alone Betts." So maybe I was a little bit but like hell if I was going to admit that out loud any time soon, especially to someone like Archie Andrews.

He rolled his eyes, thinking my antics were childish, but it takes one to know one. "Right, I believe that. But not everyone else here is so sure you're McWomanHater Jones. Watch your back. I know I've been a bad friend lately, but I really am just trying to look out for you." He slapped his hand on my back and I hissed in pain. I hadn't lied earlier. The damage to my face was purely from the fall. The pain in my back, however, was not.

I avoided Pop's on the way to work. Memories were too fresh. Instead I stepped into Aunt Bob's Bakery and got a few sweets. I grabbed a few pink merangues for Betty as sort of a sorry/thank you combo. That night's film was Bonny and Clyde so most of the younger crowd were banned from coming by their parents. I grew up watching this stuff so I was fairly desensitized by this point.

There was some hooting and hollering outside by the local gang, so I just turned the volume up a bit. It was getting more and more rowdy out there and I panicked. There was no adult working, as there almost never was, and like hell if I knew what to do. My first instinct was to call my father, but we don't actually have a phone. We use the payphone a block from our trailer. I straightened my back, popped the collar of my jacket up, and adjusted my beanie. Time to face the music.

Upon looking at me, everybody just stopped. It was a power I didn't realize I had and certainly was not proud of.

My father was the king of these losers. In the sub-social heirarchy, I'm actually a prince. I didn't care to keep it a secret anymore. Any leverage I had in this slow boil of a problem would be to my advantage.

"It's the boss's kid." It came out in a hushed tone. All the other movie goers just watched on in aw. Apparently this drama was better than the bank heist duo on screen.

"What you do on your own time is up to you, but not here. I'm in charge here, and I'll kick anyone out if I have to." Shallow threats, of course. I'm a beanpole of a man. Archie was the one with muscle. Somehow it worked though. Those that started all this took off and everyone went back to watching the movie. It felt eerie, and I sort of understood how my father fall into this, but it was not the life I wanted. He knew that and didn't bother grooming me to take it on when he "retires" in whatever capacity that ends up being.

The movie night was otherwise uneventful, unless you count breaking a personal record for stress eating. I blew way too much of my money on food, but thank whatever is out there that I get good discounts on movie food while on shift.

When I got home, something felt off. My dad was nowhere in sight and I could tell there was someone in my room. I slowly opened my door and almost had a heart attack. It was just Betty. Wait. _Betty. What is she doing here?!_ She looked up at me like I had all the answers but I mostly just had questions. I never brought friends over so how did she know where I lived? The phone book, duh.

"Jeez Betts, you scared the crap out of me. You should really be more careful, I could have attacked you." She looked down, clearly embarrassed. "But what brings Miss Cooper to the south side of town?" I moved to sit next to her on my bed, with enough space so that I didn't freak out.

She looked me dead in the eyes. "I heard about your dad, being the king of the snakes. Is that why you wear a crown? To identify you as the prince? Jesus Jug, do I even know you at all?" The accusations cut deep but I was, am, a very perceptive person.

"You know that's not true, and that's not why you're here." She was too fidgety, like there was something more. She looked away, out the window.

"I guess we don't choose who our parents are. But it's my mom."

Alice Cooper was over the top and scary but why would Betty need to talk to me about her? Am I a confidante or something?

"I know you probably don't know a lot, and you avoid being associated with your dad's business, but I need to know. There's so much yelling going on and home and my dad mentioned that my mom would have nowhere to go if she left because she's trailer trash." She stopped to take a few deep breaths. "Is my mom a Serpent? I need to know."


	3. The Truth About Snakes

"Is my mom a serpent? I need to know." This was big news. If Betty's mom was a serpent, then we were crossing social norms and hierarchies well beyond simple friendship. My gut instinct told me no. Alice was the furthest from the greaser lifestyle as they come. Her hair was always perfectly coiffed, she wore fancy outfits, and she co owned the newspaper with Betty's father Hal. It was simply impossible. What kind of moron would run a paper when their mere life was a scandal? It seemed ridiculous. But there was a pleading in her eyes that I couldn't win against. I sighed.

"Look, Betty, I really don't know but my dad isn't home so maybe we can find something here," I relented.

"Can't we just wait for him to come back?" Betty was the kind of girl that almost always managed to get what she wanted. This was not good.

"Betty... I don't want you to meet my father. _Archie_ has barely met my father and his dad was as thick as thieves with my dad when we were in diapers. It's not a good idea." She huffed at me but it felt dangerous, the idea of having my dad around someone as innocent as Cooper and I had to protect her at all costs.

We moved to the living room and I started sorting through papers on the coffee table while she grabbed me a glass of water.

"Find anything?"

"Aside from a stack of unpaid bills? Not much. There's this name, Joaquin, but that's about it." I think I met that guy before. He was on his way out while I was on my way in. Once my mom left, my dad hit this weird spot where he tried to shield me from his life while simultaneously feeling more comfortable to do his work from our place. _That must be some cognitive dissonance, dad_.

"Maybe we should just wait around, then." I was getting frustrated. She was an unstoppable force to my immovable object.

"You are not meeting FP Jones. Not tonight, hopefully not ever." I tried so hard to sound firm instead of mad but a tear rolled down her cheek none the less and she turned away from me.

"Why can't you just trust me, Juggie? I want to be a part of your life. We're friends, aren't we?" _Shit._

"Betty, of course we are, and we'll figure this out somehow. This stuff is just really toxic and I won't be able to live with myself if I get you involved. Just let me walk you home. We can try something else tomorrow." Tomorrow was Saturday so we would have all day to investigate. I would be her human shield, and if it gave her piece of mind I would go to the end of the earth to solve this case.

We walked out the back alley exit from Sunnyside trailer park in case my dad's truck came barreling in at the same time we were leaving. It was just an added precaution. The further away from gang lifestyles Betty was, the better I would feel about it all. This of course solidified my decision to **never ever tell her about my secret feelings. Ever.** That might seem a bit excessive, but I couldn't anchor her to the bottom feeders of the social classes when she had so many aspirations.

When we got to her door I remembered the merangues and I handed them to her. Apparently she hadn't had them since she was a little girl and she grinned like it was the best part of her day. It wasn't exactly a fantastic day so maybe it was.

As she went in, I saw Alice watching us from behind the living room curtains. She looked a bit skittish, but I brushed it off since Betty had said there were problems at home.

I wasn't ready to face my dad yet, after searching through his stuff, so I went out to Pop's. After ringing in the serpents, I was feeling a bit more powerful, a bit more safe. It was a chance I felt comfortable taking and I sat there drinking a soda while I waited for a triple decker burger to overcompensate for all that walking I just did. If I spent less money on food I could probably afford a car. Maybe not Archie's Model T jalope or our fathers' trucks, but I'm sure I could put a lemon on the road. Despite my whoopee hat and haphazard belonging to a class that is known for loving cars, I only had a regular level interest in cars, maybe even a bit less. I'm no mechanic, that's for sure. Betty was better at fixing cars than I am despite that being "improper" for a dame like her. Not a lot of people knew that about her, of course. It might not be as big a deal if she was a greaser like me, but such is life. I didn't regret not owning a car anyways because it'd just waste money that could go towards food.

I was on the last bite of my burger when he showed up yet again. Yep, you guessed it, the one and only Chuck Clayton. I'd give you a prize for guessing it right if I had the cash.

It was too public there, though, and two greasers in leather jackets stepped in front of him. One held out a pocket knife and the other accidentally grabbed his comb. I rolled my eyes at their embodiment of a stereotype. It made me wonder if I had gained a new level of respect from gang members or if my dad _did_ notice how banged up I was and asked the guys to watch out for me. It didn't really matter at the time as I asked them to let Chuck through. He glared at me from the other end of the booth.

"You're lucky I don't have a gun on me. Being the king of scum doesn't prevent you from being scum, _boy_. I am not intimidated by your grunts. Last warning, don't mess with me."

I held the bridge of my nose, annoyed with how pompous this guy really was. In some alternate universe he was probably pals with Archie at football practice but here he was a straight up varsity-level tool. "You can go now." I shooed him from the diner and was followed home by the two guys from earlier. It almost felt like having bodyguards which was a heck of a lot less cool than you've probably been led to believe.

They nodded their heads at my dad who nodded back and dismissed them when we got back home, leading me to only assume my theory of FP asking them to watch me was the true. That left a pretty big elephant in the room.

"Is it just for my protection, or are they spies, too?"

"The former unless they have something interesting to report back. You got yourself in quite a mess, kid. Clayton has a lot of money and power in this dumpy little town. You don't want to mess with people like that. My protection will only extend so far, Jug." I rolled my eyes. I didn't need the lecture, I knew full well the horror house I was walking into.

"Do you know an Alice? Probably about the same age as you and she married a guy named Hal Cooper."

"You're kidding, right? Of course I know Alice Smith Cooper. We all grew up in this town, you know, went to the same high school you go to. Now Alice was as much an enigma as she was a spitfire. She briefly joined us rebels, or what you kids now call greasers, but bounced back when she became Riverdale royalty with her homecoming king, Hal Cooper. Only person I've ever met do the jump, but it always made me wonder why." My head was spinning. If she dropped in social class but was brought back up, what happened, and how was it connected to Hal? I wanted to run out and call Betty on the pay phone, but I couldn't guarantee a secure line and the last thing I wanted was for her to get in trouble with her parents because of me.

Is Alice Cooper a serpent? Yes. And no. The answer was more complex. At one point she clearly was, but her involvement at this point was unknown. Betty was right and I had a feeling we were on the edge of a breakthrough.

 _Just who are you, Alice Cooper?_


	4. Legacy Child

CW: brief mention of a miscarriage

I made sure to make a pot of coffee and bring some in my tin thermos before I left. There was still half a pot on the counter in case my father bothered to wake up and have some.

I cursed under my breath when I arrived at the Cooper residence. I had seriously hoped Mama and Papa Cooper had left for work already, and I certainly was not prepared to face Alice. So I did the only thing any teenage boy has ever done in this situation. I grabbed a ladder and knocked on her second story window. What? Not everybody does that?

Betty looked surprised but pleased to see me as she let me in. I put my finger to my lips and whispered "shhh" since I didn't want to let on that I was there. We spoke in hushed tones.

"What are you doing here?"

"We said we would investigate today, remember? I have some news, though. I ended up talking to my dad after all and he said your mom was technically a serpent at one point in time, but that it was brief. Is there anyone on her side of the family we could talk to?" She sat on her bed pensive for a moment.

"Mom says my grandma died before I was born but my grandpa is still around. I'm not particularly close with him. Do you think he might know? Whatever the truth is, I want to find out." Whatever reasons Betty had to figuring this out about her family, she clearly had a sense of curiousity and adventure in there, too.

We decided to meet up with her grandfather, so I took off down the ladder and she met me at the door a few minutes later. Within three steps, we were stopped by someone I had momentarily forgot about.

Archie Andrews. Of course Betty's neighbor would notice the ladder and see us together. I just rolled my eyes, mentally preparing for him to join us even though it felt a lot safer being just Betty and me. It's not exactly well known information we're looking into, and somebody obviously wanted it that way.

"Hey guys, where are you going? Can I come?" Betty smiled at him and I felt a bit disgusted, though I'd never say anything. If there was one thing I hated, it was the way Betty looked at him like he meant everything to her when he looked at her like a reliable old backup truck.

I piped up before I could stop myself. "Don't you have football practice today?" Archie blushed, having forgotten.

"Yeah but I still have a few hours. Plus I have to make it up to Betts for being a goof the other day." He smiled up at her and I rolled my eyes.

"Well come on, then. We haven't got all day. Betty, does he live at River Oak Retirement?" It was a retirement home built when the Feds had lots of money to give but now the well was running dry so only the wealthier families could abandon their aging relatives there.

I was out in front as the two talked behind me, holding hands. I tried not to listen, but they seemed to be arguing about something and then I realized I may have misjudged Betty about wanting Arch to come with us. He looked a little spooked when we came upon the building and decided to take off.

"Shall we?" I offered Betty my arm and she took it as we walked up to a building with creepy gothic architecture. We signed in and Mr Smith was rolled into a visiting room, waiting for us.

"S'good to see you, Polly. Don't visit so much now that yer older." It was fairly common for Betty to be mistook for her slightly older sister, something I never really understood since the only thing that looked the same to me was the long blonde hair.

"Grandpa, it's me, Betty." She put her hands on his and he smiled up at her.

"So it is. What's the special occasion? Did I forget my birthday again?" He had a twinkle in his eye. Having visitors clearly meant a lot to him and I only wished we were there under better circumstances.

"No Grandpa, but you can have some of my merangues if you want." She fished out the bag and it was almost empty. He graciously took two from her. "We actually came by-" and at this the old man finally seemed to notice me, "-to see if you could tell me about Grandma Smith."

"Grandma Campbell."

"What?"

"She would be Grandma Campbell. Kathlyn Campbell. I don't know why you're asked me about her when you can just go see her yourself."

"You're going senile, Grandpa. Grandma is dead, mom told me so."

He huffed in frustration. "Well alright. The thing about Kathlyn was that she was a total fox. She had everything you could ever want in a woman with one fatal flaw. She was the daughter of the gang leader for the since disbanded Scorpions, and thus was broke. My parents admitted she was a dream, but did not approve due to those mitigating factors. We eloped when she turned 18 and she became pregnant. No, not with your mother. This pregnancy didn't work out for some reason, something that caused quite a rift between us. I blamed her a bit but she held herself entirely accountable. Her own body rejected our baby. It was devastating. To get her out of her slump, we tried again and had your mom. It made her feel a lot better but there was a festerin' scar that would probably never heal, still."

"Wow I never knew. But why did mom join the Southside?"

He was silent for a few moments. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask. I'm not exactly proud of it, but we were hitting financial hardships at the time and I went to my father. He said he would take me back but not the wife and kid. Alice was already a teenager, so I figured why not. At least one of us would be taken care of. Kathlyn and I separated and Alice made her way just as I trusted she would. She did pretty good for herself, too."

"Thanks gramps. I'm doing a genealogy report for school and this really helped." She squeezed his hand and looked ever so sincere that it scared me. If Betty could lie like that with such an honest face, what might she be hiding from me?

We walked back to Betty's house, but my mind was still reeling. What if Mr Smith wasn't senile? What if Kathlyn really was alive? It was also a lot of information to take in all at once. Betty's grandma seemed to parallel me in a sense. Wrong side of town, gang royalty, not wanting to be involved...

"Hey Jug, Veronica called and asked if we wanted to go to the Bijou and catch the matinee before you have to leave for work. What do you think?"

I shrug. "Sure, why not." Throwing myself into something mindless seemed like exactly what I needed as the lives of one Cooper and one Jones got inexplicably complicated.

Archie drove us to go pick up Veronica and somehow we talked us into playing Chinese Firedrill at the red light. My foot was barely in the door when it turned green and we went barreling down the road. I thought I saw an older woman looking at me as if she saw a ghost. Or maybe she was the ghost. Yeah a mindless movie with friends was exactly what the doctor ordered.

 _Wait. If Betty's grandma was the daughter of a gang leader, does that make her honourary gang royalty, too?_ That was definitely a piece of information I hoped would never get out, even if it could potentially get Chuck Clayton off my back.


	5. What's New, Charlie Brown

The movie had the opposite effect. I accidentally stress ate all of Betty's popcorn so we went up together for a refill and Veronica asked us to grab her some Sweetarts. There was a line and a few people in front of us was that guy from my dad's scattered papers. Joaquin. Next to him, holding hands, was our very own Kevin Keller. I made sure to note that in the back of my mind as we made our way back.

Casino Royale was a decent flick, as far as I was paying attention. Of course, I preferred to watch at the drive in even though I'd be trapped in the booth. Archie offered to drop us off, but I jumped ship at the spot where we played Chinese Firedrill earlier. There was something I had to investigate: that ghostly old woman. I still had some time before it was dark enough to screen movies at work.

She was sitting on a park bench, throwing crumbs at birds.

"You know bread is actually bad for birds." She scowled at me.

"You look just like him. Are you named Forsythe, too?" I stumbled back.

"You know my dad?"

"Probably, but I grew up with Forsythe the first, who I could only assume is your grandfather."

"And you're Polly and Betty's grandmother?"

"I think so. I've never got to meet them in person but I saw the birth announcements in the paper all those years ago. I always keep an eye out in case I spot one around, but I don't dare cross Alice. I respect her wishes."

"Is it because she blames you for the short time she lived in poverty?" She laughed at me, a whole hearty laugh.

"Who told you that? Was it Smith? At least he doesn't go around telling everyone I'm dead. Legally speaking, I probably should be, though. Oh but I've said too much and my cat is waiting for me at my apartment. Do me a favour and don't tell Polly or Betty about this. The last thing I need is the fiery dragon breath of my own daughter hounding my neck." And without so much as waiting for a verification from me, she took off.

The problem with things like these is that you're searching for answers and you just end up with more questions. Betty was sitting on a big family secret, one she knew almost nothing about, and I was going to help her uncover it.

When I got to work, I still had time to spare so I fed the payphone some dimes and called the Cooper residence. Apparently Betty was having a sleepover at Veronica's. This may have been for the best as there was little I could have said on the phone with a high likelihood of eevesdroppers without tipping the parents off.

More coins and this time the call went to the Pembrooke. I was a lot less concerned with Veronica and her mother overhearing. Her father was away on business, or at least that's what they told everyone. He never seemed to be home.

"Hello Mrs Lodge, is Betty there?"

"Not as far as I know. Sorry, Jughead. Oh wait, they're just coming in now. Did you want me to put her on the phone?"

"Yes please, I'm running out of change." Most people forgot that us poor folk have to pay on demand by the minute. Luckily Betty was put on the phone fairly quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hey Betty."

"What is it, Jug? Did something happen?" There was a pause. "Did you get jumped?"

I shook my head even though she couldn't see me. "No, no, no. I'm fine, Betty. I'm safe. This is about you. Your grandma isn't dead and-" the phone line went and there was a tone sound.

"Please insert change to place a call." _Shit_. As it turned out, despite the world around me I was all out of change, and the phone at work was for incoming calls and emergencies only. I sighed and decided I would just go tell her first thing in the morning, even if she was on the exact opposite end of town.

Tonight's showing was A Boy Named Charlie Brown. We usually did kids movies on Saturdays since there was no school the next day. This meant people probably wouldn't get loud or rowdy. There were mostly just parents with kids. I went and got a hotdog and loaded it up with toppings as I watched for any issues with the film. I started to pack up as everyone started to leave. It was still fairly warm out as the movie was shorter and the cold of the night hadn't quite set in. I walked home without even thinking, but there was a shadow looming beside the trailer and it was too large to be my dad's.

"You're pretty ballsy to be hanging around a gang leader's trailer like this, Charlie Brown."

He pushed me against the siding. "It's Chuck, and know your place, freak! You're trailer trash, just like your band of merry men, and all it takes is a word from me and the police will round you all up. Look at this piece of crap trailer. Let me guess, you've lived here all your life, right? You're nothing, and it's time you figured that out." He pushed me so hard that the stars seemed a lot closure. My vision started going black but I could hear a ruckus. There was nothing I could do as I slipped out of consciousness.

A/N: shout out to my 3 reviewers I had when I first wrote this. I was nervous about slowing down but I spat this story out in less than two weeks. Thank you all for your continued support and I hope my edited chapters don't clog emails. I'm not sure if they send alerts over edited chapters.


	6. Secret Loves and Love Letters

My head was throbbing and I felt like someone dropped a tonne of bricks on me. I tried to talk but my voice came out coarse yet quiet.

"Betty, I need to talk to Betty." I willed my eyes open and saw my father yelling at a nurse. _What happened?_ Oh yeah, I was beat down by Chuck. It's not exactly manly to fight someone half your size, _Charlie_.

He came in and grabbed me, pulling me right off the hospital bed. He muttered an apology and something along the lines of basic care since we couldn't afford a lengthy bill. I guess there wasn't a lot of medical coverage when your main job is being a gang leader.

"Dad, can you drop me off at Betty's? Or she might still be at Veronica's. How long was I out?"

He looked at me like I was an idiot. "It's Tuesday, Jug. I pulled the guy off you but you suffered a concussion and went into a coma. The police don't go to the south side of town so instead I talked to the principal. I did the best I could, but he only got a 2 day suspension so he'll be back the same as you tomorrow. I swear it's gross how playing a bit of sports can make you untouchable in this town." _As opposed to all the work you did to earn that title, dad?_

"Alright well can we go or not?" I was later told that frustration and a short tempter were likely side effects of the head trauma, but they didn't know a lot about it. He sighed and pulled his truck out of the parking spot.

"Well what's the street?"

I gave him the address and he froze for a second. He probably didn't even realize that I noticed, but I did.

"That's the rich part of town, Jug. A snake like me is liable to get stomped over there. I'll drive you because you're not in any condition and I know you're too stubborn like your mom to not find some way to go. All I'm saying is that this is a one time thing, don't expect this again any time soon, understand me?" I nodded.

We arrived and their doorman Smithers let me through as my dad took off faster than greased lightening. I rolled my eyes.

Veronica's mom worked part time as a secretary for Fred, Archie's dad, at Andrews Construction, but today she was off or at least left early.

"What are you doing here, Jughead? Shouldn't you be in school?" I guess my mind wasn't working right because I didn't even think to ask the time. At this moment, it was 2pm so there was a whole hour before school let up and a limousine would pick up Veronica.

"I'm sorry, I've been out of sorts, just got out of a coma but it's not that big of a deal. I just forgot time has passed and assumed Betty was still here. Of course she's probably at school with Veronica." She sent me a look of sympathy which really tickled my nose. I didn't need pity from anyone, especially not some rich upper crust lady.

"I can call and have her picked up by Smithers if you want. She's always welcome here, anyways. In the meantime, have a seat." If I wasn't so wary of Betty's family I probably would have refused her offer, but I am wary so I didn't. Besides that, I'm not one to turn down food.

At one point she joked that it was surprising I wasn't rich from the amount it must cost to feed a hollow leg boy like me. It was only because we were acquainted that she could say that since most people who didn't know me would assume this was a byproduct of not having eaten in a week. I guess I hadn't really eaten in a few days, technically. This whole thing would have been awkward if I wasn't so busy stuffing my face while she read a book. It was The French Lieutenant's Woman, which I assumed was just trashy literature targeted at women with a title like that. When we heard the girls near the door, she earmarked the corner of the page, which left me baffled. Why would anyone hurt a book page like that, especially when you were someone who could afford fancy bookmarks?

My agitations disappeared once the pair walked into the room with Archie trailing behind. Betty walked right up to me.

"Where have you been? I feel like I haven't slept in a week with that phone call being cut off and you not showing up for school." It melted my heart to think that someone noticed I was gone and actually worried about me. "You don't look so good." She then turned around to look at Archie who proceeded to pass me a bag.

"It's your homework. When Veronica heard you were here, I thought you might want it so you wouldn't be overwhelmed in class tomorrow." I appreciated the thought and the effort, and maybe I disliked Veronica a little less for her part, too. Maybe these people were my friends. I've spent more time with her lately than Kevin. My mind flashed back to seeing Kevin with Joaquin at the theater but I ignored it. Not important.

"This might seem a little rude, but I need to talk to Betty alone. She can decide what she wants you all to know afterwards, it's not up to me." Veronica shot us a thumbs up and I tried as hard as I could not to roll my eyes at her antics.

I made sure the door to the spare room we were in was locked before speaking.

"We need to talk."

"And you need to tell me why you weren't in school and why you hung up on me." She poked her finger at my chest.

"Right, right. Sorry, I'm not all here. I didn't hang up, I just ran out of money at the payphone. The reason I wasn't in school was because on Saturday night, Chuck came by to remind me that I'm poor and I may have said a few things that set him off. I guess I ended up with a concussion and fell into a very mild coma and ended up in the hospital. I couldn't afford to stay though. Medical expenses are ridiculous for a family like mine so we left as soon as I was able and all I could remember was wanting to talk to you and you being at Veronica's so that's why I ended up here. And before you get more worried, my dad drove me here."

"I wasn't even at Veronica's very long. My mom picked me up shortly after you called. Said our family needed to be together and to pray for Polly. I'm not supposed to tell anyone but Veronica already knows and I trust you. Polly's pregnant and they're going to ship her away to a convent until after she gives birth so nobody will know."

"And what about the baby?"

"We don't know. My mom doesn't want her to keep it and that kind of defeats the purpose of hiding the pregnancy, but Polly seems really happy so I'm not sure what we should do."

"Betty, it will be okay. We will do everything we have to do for Polly to keep her happy, alright? You just come from a dramatic family."

"And my grandma?" Her voice broke.

"Is not dead. We passed her in the car the other day and on our way home she was the reason I got out. It was just a suspicion but it turned out to be right. And she knew exactly who I was, too. Apparently she knew my grandfather, though she took off before she could give me any real information. She is definitely alive though, so your grandfather is probably as stable as they come on your mom's side of the family." She lightly punched me in the arm for my remark and I shot her a smirk.

"Alright, that's all I got."

"We should investigate this further." I nodded in agreement and we left the room.

"So are you two a thing now?" I assumed Veronica was teasing.

"Shush," Betty responded with a giggle. Archie just looked confused.

"V, leave Betty alone." She looked shocked at my use of nickname, but then sent me a smile. I guess it's official, I'm friends with the raven haired princess of the north end of town. It would be easier in our group this way anyways.

"If it's okay with you, Jughead and I have some things we would like to deal with. Thanks for bringing me here, Smithers." She shot the doorman a smile and we took off. It was a lot easier to work with just the two of us, but I didn't want to be the one to make the call.

"Take me to her please, Jughead." She gave me these big doe eyes that just about broke my heart.

"Betty, I don't know where she lives and she specifically asked me not to tell you about her. Your mom doesn't admit she's alive for a reason. We have to be more strategic about this, Betty." I put my hand on her face. "We just have to be smart, Betts."

"Alright, so now what?"

"How much do you know about the Southside Serpants?"

"Your dad is associated with them, right? And they're mostly from the Southside, especially since it's a part of the name... that's about all I know."

"Well, there's a bit more to it than that. My dad isn't just associated, he's the leader. It's not something I'm proud of but we could probably ask him how his dad knew your grandma. I probably wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't important. I still have a few hours before it's dark out and the movie is ready to start so let's go."

Being on the far end of town meant taking a bus back to the Southside and Betty let me lean on her for the twenty minute ride as I took a nap since I was still exhausted from earlier. She was the best thing in my messed up life by far.

She woke me up at our stop and I held her hand in terror as we edged closer to the man I had avoided introducing pure sweet Betty to all this time. I held out hope for my father, but I wasn't stupid.

"Dad I'm home, and I brought a friend. This is Betty Cooper." She smiled at him and waved. It seemed sincere from the look in her eye.

"Pleasure to officially meet you, Mr Jones." She looked excited to meet him and I had no clue why. Most people had a healthy fear for him.

"The pleasure is mine, I'm sure." He sent her his trademark smirk which would probably make her swoon if she was anywhere close to his age. She didn't seem uncomfortable, though, so at least there was that.

"Dad I asked you a few days back about Betty's mom, Alice, but is there anything you know about Kathlyn, her mom? Or maybe her ties to Grandpa Forsythe?"

"Woah there kid. This one goes deep. I really don't think it's my place to say anything."

"Please," Betty batted her eyelashes and pouted, causing my father to tumble down like a house of cards.

"Alright but you ain't heard it from me. Our paternal side of the family has had an interesting relationship with Betty's maternal side spanning back a few generations. I didn't mention it earlier because it didn't matter, but for a shortly lives period of time Hal and Alice had broken up and we had gotten together. The briefest of flings since he literally rescued her from poverty. You can't really compete with that when your life goals are to own a trailer on the bad side of the tracks. Anyways I don't know what gramps did for Kathlyn but it must have been pretty big, and she paid him back by hightailing it and going with Mr Smith. Worked for the best since Jug and I wouldn't be here if he didn't meet my mother and get married before the war. Yeah, the world could have been a whole lot different. I think he had a bunch of old letters around here somewhere if you think it'll help."

A/N: I just polished this last paragraph after watching the finale and I am dead. Jughead is literally the Southside prince and I feel a connection with that to this story because of it so it's weird haha. Go Jughead.


	7. Forsythe Jones I

They searched for about half an hour before FP found what he was looking for. It was a little lockbox. "It's getting dark, kid. I'll drive you to work and I'll even give Miss Cooper a ride home."

"No!" We yelled in sync.

"I think I'm going to just hangout with Jughead at work if that's alright." A small blush marked her face. My dad just shrugged and drove us to The Twilight.

As I set up that night's movie, the title of which I couldn't tell you since I was doing things automatically as I watched Betty try to open the box. There was a note on my desk saying to thank my friend at consession for both covering my shifts and not burning the whole place down by mistake. He wasn't exactly the seasoned pro at this that I was.

"1-9-4-1," I suggested. She tried it and it popped open. I gave her a triumphant smirk.

There were a lot of letters in there so we divided them in half and started to skim. Betty's face seemed to achieve a permanent red at reading someone's intimate letters. Most were to my grandmother during the war so we were giving up hope and I could tell the movie would be over soon.

"Looks like a dead end, Betty. I'll walk you home in just a sec. We can try something else after school tomorrow." She shot me a glare and kept searching. I was just taking the film off the projector and closing up for the night when I heard a scream. Betty was holding onto a piece of paper that was sealed with a dead scorpion.

"I think I found a clue."

"Good job, Scooby doo."

As everyone left, we stayed to read.

Dearest Forsythe,

While our time together was sweet, it cannot continue. Our presence together is too dangerous now that you've helped me clean up the body and I can't ask you to get involved with this. Henry and I are going to get back together and it will be as if this was all but a bad dream. No one must ever know we had anything to do with what happened to Cooper.

I'm sorry my love,

Farewell

Kathlyn Campbell

"Cooper? Like your last name, Cooper, or the first name Cooper? We have to go look at the city record down at the library!"

"Jughead this is important but I think the library is closed. Maybe we should think on it and investigate tomorrow. I need a minute to breath. What happened to 'Cooper' and how did it need to get cleaned up? I'm not sure I'm ready for that answer without a full night of sleep behind me." I nodded in understanding. I guess I had just got caught up in the hype. This was Betty's mystery and I was just here to help and write it down. I pulled her into a hug as she was completely overwhelmed.

"My supposed-to-be-dead grandma did a bad thing, I think. I just don't know what."

We stayed like that for a while but then it all happened so fast. The whole building started to smell and the flames had almost consumed the whole room. I tried to carry Betty but I was still so weak from getting out of a coma this morning and the smoke was not helping. I had to do something to keep Betty safe. I wrapped her in my jacket to cover her bare arms from fire and dropped us to the ground where the air was cleaner. I tried to crawl out but the fumes from the burning classics, something I was sure I would mourn later, had gotten to her and she was out like a light. I dragged her across the floor with pieces of debris hitting us here and there.

I had to get up and kick a hole in the wall to escape since the door was caved in. Once we were a ways away, I made sure to check on her. Her face was covered in ash and it was haunting, terrifying, and beautiful. I checked to see if she was still breathing, and thank god she was. At that moment, I knew I had to start being more honest with both myself and her.

I almost lost Betty Cooper that night. I also accepted my fate, that I would probably always love Betty Cooper, and I never wanted to feel like she was slipping through my fingers ever again.


	8. Sifting Through the Ashes

Soon the police, fire department, and a few ambulances showed up. They loaded Betty up so she could get checked out, but they told me I couldn't come with her. I had to stay behind and report what happened to the police. A crowd started gathering behind a line of yellow tape and I could see my father but he looked like a ghost.

There wasn't a lot to say. I left out the part about the Scorpion letter but I did say we were reading through old family letters out of curiousity. They were about to let me leave when another officer arrived and told the guy I had been talking to, Sheriff Keller, that there were matches and gasoline found on the premise. This crossed the threshold, moving it from accident to arson. And I was suspect number one so off into the police car we went even though all I wanted to do was to go see Betty and never let go.

"Why did you do it? For kicks? Were you doing something you weren't supposed to and just burning the evidence? Maybe you got into a little fight with your girlfriend and wanted to scare her."

I squeezed my eyes shut. This was awful knowing someone would even consider that.

"Reports say you've been getting pummelled at school. Maybe you were just angry at the popular kids. She's a cheerleader, right? Were you trying to get even? This isn't some Hinton novel, kid, there's no gang war between you and them." _Pffft sure there isn't._

I was trying so hard to wait for a lawyer to be present but they kept pressing all the wrong buttons and I reacted like a cornered dog.

"Shut up. I almost died. I get it, you all think Elizabeth Cooper is too good for a Southside kid like Jughead Jones, but we've been friends our whole lives and nothing is going to change that. If you honestly think I did it, that I would jeopardize Betty's life like that over something so petty, then you must be insane. If you think I'm gonna continue to sit here and listen to your shit, you have another thing coming. I don't even care if I'm currently incriminating myself because as of now I am no longer talking to you."

He was lucky I wasn't the malicious type. I was friends with his son Kevin, who I had a sneaking suspicious was secretly dating a serpent. At least I could say I wasn't one. Of course, doing that would also be throwing Kevin under the bus and he didn't deserve that, even if he was keeping a slithering secret from us.

We were at a stand still for hours until an officer came to inform the sheriff that I had made bail. He sighed and let me out of the interrogation room, albeit reluctantly.

A group of teenagers stood in the lobby, waiting for me. I was shocked, but really, who was I expecting? My dad would magically have the money? If anything, I was glad it wasn't my father because then I'd have to question where he got that kind of cash from.

"You're FP's kid, right? I get that he put in a lot of work to keep your life separate from us, even going so far as to make sure you got into the other school so colleges wouldn't reject your applications outright, but the word underground is that you're in things up to your neck. Here." He passed me a jacket, similar to theirs but identical to the one my dad had. _Southside Serpents_.

"I'm sorry but in my school, taking this would be literally social suicide." I tried to hand it back but he took a step away.

"You're a legacy child. Wear it, or don't. It's yours to do with as you please, but it comes with protection and a promise. You're our own, like it or not, and we are loyal as we are fierce. We will always have your back."

Okay so you couldn't say I _officially_ joined a gang, at least not yet, but it did feel like I did unofficially. As someone with very few friends, it really meant a lot to me to have others care about me and treat me like family. I sometimes felt like I didn't even get that at home, especially without Jellybean.

One of them gave me a ride to the hospital and I went up to see Betty. It hadn't even been 12 hours since I was the one who was a patient there. She smiled at me as I entered the room and Veronica looked up from her book.

"Don't worry, Jug. They said I'm only here on observation and I can leave tomorrow morning in time for school if I want."

"I'll walk you," I offered way too fast.

"Thanks, Juggie." She reached out and squeezed my hand. "I can always count on you. Thanks for saving my life." I wanted to kiss her but she looked so fragile that I felt she might break under the pressure. To add to that, she was also very vulnerable and I would be a tool to take advantage of that. She patted the side of her bed, like she wanted us to just lay down together, and soon I was out like a light.

Soon enough I was shaken awake.

"Jughead, we have to get up. School starts soon." Oh right, I had forgotten that I said I'd walk Betty to school. Of course, that offer made it hard to avoid skipping as I had earlier been tempted. But if Betty was there, it would be okay.

She was her usual peppy self, if not more happy. Maybe almost dying gave her a new appreciation for life. She held my hand the whole walk and I decided I couldn't keep doing this without coming clean about how I felt. It was tortune, being so close and it meaning practically nothing.

She refused to break away from me so I ended up walking her to class. She pressed her lips to my cheek and I just stood there like an idiot while she went in. I was a few minutes late to my class.

Did I mention people stare at me a lot? I get a lot of negative attention, but on this particular day, I felt like it was more than that. There were whispers and I could make out a few things here and there. Betty. Fire. Snakes. I wanted to pound my head into my desk but I refrained. I didn't need more head trauma.

It was agonizingly slow waiting for lunch. When it finallly came, I went to go find Betty but was stopped by the football team.

"My dad says you're a snake, JUGhead," laughed Reggie Mantle.

"Did you seriously try to burn down your own work just to get back at me because I told you Betty is too good to associate with a freak like you? I bet you even have a jacket." He sneered, but was finding immense amusement in the bullying, I could tell just by looking at him. I almost laughed because while I did have a Serpents jacket now, he had his varcity jacket so really what was the difference?

"Leave him alone, guys!" Betty yelled. She must have seen the whole thing.

"Shut up, skirt. Know your place. You're above him but compared to me you're still just a little girl. I'm not going to listen to you just because you're a cheerleader." They all laughed like thunder through the halls.

"Oh yeah? Well then, I guess we'll just leave. I'm not better than Jughead, none of us are. And you can shove it with your social hierarchies because I'm a gang member legacy child and I'll be damned if I let you talk down to Juggie." She slapped Chuck hard in the face. "He saved my life." She led me away and everyone stood there like they were frozen, but they were just stunned. This was not the Betty Cooper they had become accustomed to. I'm not even sure she was fully aware of what she had just said.

We went to be by ourselves on the edge of the property.

"You didn't have to do that, Betty. Now you'll be a target, too."

"Well I couldn't just stand by while they picked on you. I like you too much to tolerate that." She smiled up at me. And here I was collecting myself to spill _my_ feelings.

So I did the one thing I had been holding myself back from doing for a while now and I just leaned in and kissed her. This girl, Betty Cooper, the imperfectly perfect girl, cared about me and even liked me back. It was like sparklers and old movies at the bijou. I felt electrified. Our moment was cut short when Betty pulled away, eyes wide.

"What, did I misread the situation?" I could be a bit socially awkward sometimes.

"No Juggie, that was amazing, but do you still have the letter?"

I felt around in my pockets, but it wasn't there. _Did I pocket it before we escaped the fire? Shit, of course not. My first priority was keeping Betty as safe as possible._ I felt like such a dumbass.

"I'm sorry Betty, it must have gotten burned up in the blaze."

"It's that, or whoever lit the fire took it. We need to go talk to my grandma. Now." She took my hand and led me away, but we still didn't know where she was. We just walked towards where I last saw her when I spotted a phonebooth and pointed it out to Betty. Inside it was a telephone directory. We skimmed down until we found Kathlyn Campbell. 34 Penderson, apartment 306.

She took off with a renewed vigour, tugging me along like a rag doll. When we got there, she knocked really loud.

"Go away."

"Kathlyn, just let us in. We both know you want to meet Betty anyways and Alice isn't here."

We could hear her unlocking the deadbolt and turning the latch so we could open the door.

I looked between the two women.

"Kathlyn, this is Betty. Betty, this is your grandmother, Kathlyn."


	9. Skeletons Don't Belong in Closets

She would look at Betty but she couldn't meet her eyes. She was too ashamed. Maybe of what she had done to make Alice so mad or maybe because she never had the courage to reach out before. Betty embraced her tight and she started to cry.

"It's nice to meet you, grandma."

Kathlyn smiled and held on a little tighter.

"It's nice to meet you too, Betty. Thank you so much, Jughead, I had no idea how much I needed this." She looked so happy, they both did, and it filled me with a knotted dread because there was a skeleton in the closet that needed to be shaken out.

Her apartment was really small and she couldn't afford much in the way of things. We sat on her makeshift couch, holding hands, as we waiting for her to come back with tea and coffee.

"I'll bring up the letter, Betty." I didn't want her grandmother to associate this mess with her. She looked at me with pleading eyes, as if to say _D_ _o we really have to? I'm happy like this._ And I'm not one to deny her happiness, but I didn't know when we would get the chance to be here again and I knew deep down that Betty really needed answers.

To my surprise, Betty spoke up when Kathlyn reentered the room.

"Grandma, who is Cooper?" She dropped the trey with tea cups, tea, and coffee. It all shattered and spilled everywhere. People in Betty's family were a lot less tactful than they thought they were.

She was shakey and she gulped. She didn't start talking again until she leaned down to clean up the mess before anyone got seriously hurt.

"So you found the letter. You don't have to believe me, but I didn't murder Cooper Blossom. My dad just ordered me to clean up the mess. Maybe he did it, I don't know, but either way I was in charge of clean up. I'm squeamish, Betty, and not particularly strong, not even when I was younger. This was before the war, and before Forsythe got married and died a war hero. He said he would do anything for me so I asked him to help me. We dragged the body to Sweetwater River, figuring it would end up in the Atlantic before anyone even thought to look in it. We were wrong, but there was nothing that could pin it to us anyways. I lived in extreme paranoia for years. It's been an unsolved murder case ever since, abandoned due to lack of evidence. I always knew someday it would come back to haunt me, again, like it did when Alice found out."

Betty rubbed her grandmothers back, trying so hard to comfort the family she had only just met. Kathlyn sobbed into her arms. It was haunting to watch and I felt like this moment was too personal and intimate for me to be watching, like I was a voyeur.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us. We found out through the letter you wrote my grandfather, but I'm pretty sure it's a collection of ash now. This isn't your fault. Neither of us asked to be children of gang leaders." Her eyes softened and she seemed genuinely grateful. She has probably been holding onto this guilt for decades.

We helped clean up the mess and she provided glasses of water now that her tea set was broken. I snacked on a few cookies she put out while her and Betty got to know each other better. It was heartwarming seeing Betty like this. Things were tense at her home and her mom was very pushy with her. I stayed in solidarity for her.

When we finally left, she told me she didn't want to go home. She wasn't ready to face her mother who would probably be livid about the fact that we skipped school- maybe even more than that if she knew Betty admitted to being gang legacy. We decided to go to Pop's. I guess technically this would have been our first date so it felt like a really big deal even though we always went there together.

We could have shared a milkshake but I felt that was too sappy so I bought her a vanilla and I got myself a strawberry to go with my burger and fries. I ordered an extra plate of fries to share, since I had no intention of sharing her main meal. I casually slung my arm over her shoulder and she leaned in to me.

For a short while, we could live in bliss, in the one safe place we had in Riverdale, and pretend like none of this crap from the past week or so had even happened. I said something, don't remember what but it made her laugh and I cherished that sound. We could be _normal_. A word that haunted me like the word perfect haunted Betty. I wanted it ever so desperately but it just was not in the cards for me.

I kissed her and sighed in contentment. If there could be more burger dates, I knew all the stuff I went through in life would be worth it. I just needed my partner by my side.

We heard a ring chime and in stepped a very pissed off Alice Cooper.

"Let's go Betty." She pulled onto her daughter's arm with a grip of steel. Betty quietly said no and tried to pull away, but it was no use. She looked at me apologetic.

"Don't worry, Jughead will pick up the tab," Alice said to Pop Tate, owner of the fine eatery.

A/N: I released the first chapter a week ago. I have a few chapters building up so I don't have to worry about falling behind, but I might release a second chapter tonight if I can finish the chapter after, to celebrate. Also noticed a few continuity errors- the big one being a mention of Riverdale High being the only high school. Obviously that was not the case, I just didn't know it yet.

Edit: errors have been fixed more or less. Let me know if you spot any more!


	10. Darkness Becomes

I didn't get to see Betty until the next day. To anyone who didn't know Miss Cooper, they never would have realized something was wrong. Of our gang of friends, Veronica was the only other person I expected might pick up on it. Her eyes shone with a mischievious glint. She threw her arm behind my back and we walked side by side into the oncoming storm.

Almost immediately Cheryl Blossom came up to us. "Consider this your notice. You are no longer welcome as a Riven Vixen. If Veronica doesn't like it, then she can be let go too." She spun and took off, red hair like flames behind her. She was the head cheerleader with an unwarranted chip on her shoulder and she usually took it out on Betty.

But that wasn't the only news with Cheryl today. She held strong but apparently the word broke some time after Betty and I decided to play hooky. Jason Blossom was missing.

Jason was to high school sports what his twin sister was to cheerleading. When I thought back on the previous day, it all clicked in. He was the only jock other than Archie not there, starting a fight with me. It definitely wasn't because he was above all that since he was brothers in arms with Chuck. So what happened to Jason? As much as I disliked them all, and not just because they were rich jocks, I was intrigued. I would have investigated further if Betty and I weren't knee deep in our own mysteries.

According to Betty, her mom was angry at her for skipping school and was livid when she found out Betty suggested she had gang members in her family. Alice asked who told her that and she narrowed her eyes. Betty also said she tried to forbid her from seeing me since she had a suspicion the teller was me. Of course, she wasn't really wrong. Her anger wasn't going to stop me from seeing Betty, though. We went to the same school. Oh and to top it all off, she was grounded for 2 weeks. I was almost surprised Alice didn't make it the rest of Betty's natural life. That woman scared me.

So the rumour mills were obviously whispering about that, too. _Betty, the golden girl, was just a wolf in sheeps clothing_ or some crap like that. I held on tight in an effort to protect her from the comments I had long since grown accustomed to. Nothing could prepare us for what happened next.

Upon entering the hallway that housed Betty's locker, we saw a group of people, including one Chuck Clayton who happened to be grinning from ear to ear like some schadenfreudean nightmare. It would have been enough to scare the Cheshire Cat.

I held Betty back.

"Let me go, I have to wipe it off, I have to wipe it off."

 **In Salem, they burn witches. In Riverdale, we hang them. Die, snake harlot.** Below the text was a crude drawing of a girl with a leather jacket hanging from a tree with a fire beneath her.

After getting a full view I was too stunned to keep a grip on Betty and she got out of my hold. She rubbed her hands on the words and images, willing them to wipe off like chalk on a chalk board, but sharpies were marketed as permanent markers for a reason. She was crying and her arms were raw. Chuck and a bunch of other laughed at her while everyone else just watched in probably a mixture of horror and amusement. People always liked playing witness so they could later tell everyone _I was there_.

I grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into me. "Let's go." We walked away to the student lounge and I glared so hard that I cleared the room. I would have chosen the Blue and Gold office for the sake of privacy, but I needed access to running water. I wet down some paper towel and gently wiped down Betty's arms that were covered in raven black ink and crimson blood. My heart broke while I did this but somebody had to.

Minutes later Archie, Veronica, and Kevin showed up. The latter trailer behind a bit.

"Are you a serpent, Betty?" Archie sounded concerned.

Her voice was a bit shakey, but at least she was among friends. "Relax Arch, I'm not. My family has a past with gangs but the only gang I have is our group of friends. Right Jug?" I felt constricted as I realized I still had my matching jacket in my backpack from when they sprung me from the coop.

"Yeah, of course. None of us are gang members. Betty just stood up to me yesterday and now Chuck is going a bit Clockwork Orange on us. Not something I wanted to drag Betty into, though. Glad it didn't get ultra violent."

"Jeez do you read every book on the recommended reading list?" Kevin spoke. I just kind of rolled my eyes. I liked connecting my life to piece of fiction, be it movies or books or even the occasional song. Sue me.

"That is just awful, Betty." Veronica rubbed her friend's shoulder in support.

"Oh right, and this morning she was kicked off of the cheer squad so you might be on thin ice now, Veronica. Just a heads up. You too, Archie. You play on Chuck's team. Sooner or later he is going to demand loyalty from you. As for you, Kevin, just don't scapegoat us when your secret comes out and you'll be fine."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He sounded as nervous as he looked but I already knew he was lying.

"Oh come on, Kevin. You've been busy lately, and it hasn't been with hanging out with your four friends. I saw you at the Bijou." The colour drained from his face.

"Okay okay. There's this guy. His name is Joaquin, and he may or may not be a Southside Serpent, but I'm not judgemental and beggars can't be choosers when so few gay guys are out. With the red scare still pretty fresh in the collective consciousness, I don't even blame most of them. We really like each other okay? Just don't tell my dad, he would throw a fit."

"Relax Kev, we're your friends. I'm just getting prepared so you don't throw us under the bus because of your boyfriend. We're either in this together or we're not. That's all I'm saying."

Shortly after the bell rang, we all met up to hang out together at Betty and I's shared space of the Blue and Gold office. She ran it and added me on to help write and work as an advisor. She curled up in my arms, drinking a hot chocolate I skipped class to get for her.

"Ohmygosh B, did it finally happen? Are you and Riverdale's very own Henry Tilney a thing now? Swoon!" I rolled my eyes.

"I think so," she looked up at me for some sort of verification.

"Whatever you want, Betts."

She played with the loose threads of my sweater with her free hand. All of her stuff was in here as her locker was cleaned up. Apparently it takes a lot of effort to make something that's supposed to be permanent, impermanent. We stayed as close together, creating a sort of protective barrier for Betty until the end of the day.

After the 3pm bell, the footballer and the cheerleader went off on a date so I told Kevin he didn't have to trail behind us. I walked Betty home and she asked me to sneak in. She wasn't ready to be alone with her family or her thoughts so we decided I would come in through the window like last time.

She had left it open for me so I just stepped in and captured her in s kiss I had been holding in all day. We ended up making out against the wall when I noticed how disarray her room was. We broke apart.

"Betty... What happened in here?" Looking around, I was frazzled by knocked over chairs and crooked paintings but also the room seemed more small and more intimate now that we were going steady.

"I don't remember much of it but after that conversation with my mom last night I just kind of lost it. I guess I threw some sort of temper tantrum, but I blanked out for most of it." Her hands tightened around my sleeve. My Betty was extremely vulnerable around me and I felt humbled that she trusted me with that.

"It's okay Betty, we all get mad some time." I grumbled as I awkwardly patted her hair. We jumped as we heard the sound of glass smashing.

"You're ruining this family, Alice, with your tainted blood. I don't know why I even betrayed my family by associating with yours. And now what, our oldest is pregnant and her boyfriend _conveniently_ happens to go missing? And our youngest is this close to joining that greasy gang I rescued you from decades ago? This is just great."

"You wouldn't even know my family had anything to do with the murder of your grandfather if I didn't tell you in confidence!"

They were yelling so loud that Betty and I just sat there on her bed, frozen, listening. The pieces started to come together. Kathlyn covered up the murder of Cooper Blossom. Kathlyn was involved with the murder of great grandpa Cooper.

I looked down at Betty who looked up at me. She looked absolutely disgusted, but I knew she wasn't really looking at me, as greasy as I was. "I'm a Blossom? Wait that makes Polly..." We were interrupted by loud footsteps up the stairs and the door being thrown open.

"Let's go Betty, we aren't wanted here." Alice was putting up a tough act but I could tell all this drama was breaking her up inside. She looked over at me without skipping a beat. "You, too."

We got in the family's car and took off. Soon we were at Sunnyside, and I squeezed Betty's hand. I didn't know where Alice intended to go once she dropped me off. But we passed by dad's trailer and went on until we hit the abandoned one that I hadn't seen anyone so much as step a foot inside my whole life. Greaser kids always said it was haunted. When we stopped, Alice put on a smile.

"Welcome home, Betty."

A/N: Another chapter for the one-week-versary. I have an image on here called Darkness Becomes (named so because it accompanies a scene from this chapter) if you want to see what the vandalism would have probably looked like. Also been trying to maintain a balance of borrowing from the story while also being a completely separate entity. I like my tie ins here and there. The Salem witch reference is in here as a nod to Sabrina.


	11. Southside Princess

Four of us sat out on the patio, sipping Pop Shoppe sodas my dad smuggled in from Montreal. It was Alice, Betty, my father, and me. A bunch of members of the Southside community came to ask questions and welcome Alice back. Some even asked if she was going to date my dad, who laughed and said he still considered himself to be very much so married to my mother even if she lived a whole state over. Alice wasn't thinking about dating my dad either so she wasn't offended by his answer.

Other than that, things were quiet. My dad didn't even ask questions, he just came over with a bunch of things the ladies might need. It was like those kids were saying the other day. Even though she abandoned them, southsiders take care of their own. They resented her for it as little as they resented me for not going to Southside High. As an aside, we really weren't creative when it came to coming up with school named in this town.

Eventually, dad suggested we leave. He didn't say it but I knew he meant that we should give them privacy to talk this out. I laid on my bed while dad started preparing a dinner in the first time in months. I guess this was a big occasion for him. For us. There was no food in their abandoned kitchen so they were going to come to ours. I don't know how we even had food in our kitchen that wasn't ready made, but somehow my dad did it.

Maybe tomorrow when things calmed down a bit we would have a neighbourhood BBQ. I was starting to grow comfortable with everyone here in the Southside community. Maybe I would take the jacket that was in my backpack after all. The whole school practically hated me by now anyways.

I was peering at it inside the opened backpack and FP glanced over. "The boys gave you that, right?" He went to the closet and grabbed his own, then sat across from me.

"Jughead, we're not bad people. We do what we need to in order to survive. I'm not gonna lie, I wanted better for you. I wanted a house and a white picket fence and maybe a college education so I enrolled you at RSS instead of the one here on Southside. Archie was there so I figured you'd be fine, but things aren't fine are they. Hell I'm pretty sure Chuck must have lit the drive in on fire with how much he seems to target you right now."

I started laughing. "I called him Charlie Brown the other day. He was already out to get me, but I called Chuck Clayton Charlie Brown."

"Not sure if that was brave or just stupid, Jug. But to get back to my main point, you're mature for your age and I know you don't always sleep at home so I'm trusting you to make your own decisions. I won't shield you anymore. If you want to join, then join. If you don't, then don't. No pressure. You'll Be the best son a guy could ask for either way. And that goes for transferring to Southside High if that's easier on you, too."

I guess Betty wasn't the only one having a heart to heart with a parent right then. I pulled it out of the bag. It was a cheesy moment but we agreed to both put on our jackets at the count of three. One, two, three. It looked good and felt even better. Almost like more of a home than these four walls, but not more of a home than the two arms of Betty Cooper.

We heard a knock on the door and dad went to let the two Coopers in. She saw me and froze near the doorway before I could even think to fling the jacket off. I felt like I had been caught doing something I should not have, and she looked flighty. This was all too much for her and I was instantly filled with regret. She bolted and I chased after her. I found her sitting against the chain link fence that separated the trailer park from the forest behind it.

"I get that my grandma used to be in a gang and my mom was in this gang for a while, but I didn't want you to be in a gang. We're still so new, Juggie, and I'm so afraid. I've been crushing on you since Archie started ditching me for Veronica. It's you, and I always go to you. Blue and Gold? I go to Jughead. Third wheel of a date? Jughead. I didn't think you liked girls but you've always shown an interest in me and I thought maybe I could be the exception but now I don't know. What if this breaks us?" Her makeup was all over her face and I pulled her into me and held her face in my hand, looking her right in her gorgeous but watery eyes.

"You are the exception, Betty. Never been interested in anyone else but you. Please don't cry, have faith in me. I won't let this tear us apart. This will be for the best. Being a snake offers protection. We take care of each other. We need people on our side. A civil war is breaking out and I will do anything to keep you safe. I almost lost you once, and I don't intend to again." I pressed a light kiss to her lips. A promise that I meant every word that I said. It was getting dark out now, though, and I saw her shivering. I handed her my new jacket.

There's this unspoken rule that having a girl wear your varsity jacket basically made her your girl officially. Now I didn't have a varsity jacket but I did have this, and damn did it ever look good on her. I was more than hot enough now to not need the thing on the walk back, anyways.

FP and Alice were awkwardly chewing on their chuck steak, mashed potatoes, and cream corn when we came in to join them. The two exchanged looks as Betty was still wearing my jacket and smiling at me. I gulped, hoping Mrs Cooper didn't want to kill me. She looked like she was fine with it but looks can be deceiving.

"I was thinking about checking out Southside High tomorrow. Might be best to lay low for a while," I said. Betty bit her lip.

"Mom, can I go check it out, too?"

Alice froze. "Is school unsafe for you?" Betty nodded.

"Someone vandalized my locker and suggested I should be hung or maybe burned at the stake... That's why Jughead came over after school, because I didn't want to be alone."

"I guess you can go, but keep Jughead with you. I may have been a Serpent once, and they still seem to treat me like one of their own, but it's okay to be a bit suspicious. My mother was in a gang, after all, and it turned out they were involved in the death of your great grandfather, of whom we got the last name Cooper from in his passing."

"The Serpents aren't the Scorpions, mom." She visibly paled.

"And grandma isn't as bad as you make her out to be."

"You mean wasn't."

"No, mom, Jughead accidentally found her and we went to talk to her. Dad said he betrayed his family by being with you before we left, but really you betrayed yours first. You know, all of a sudden I'm not very hungry. Did you want to show me your room, Jug?"

She grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the seething dragon left behind. I was a bit embarrassed. I think the last time I had somebody other than family in here, I was 7 and having a sleepover with Archie before our dads started fighting.

I had a poster of Spiderman on one wall and one of Batman on the other. I had a record player on a nightstand by my bed with a bunch of records in their sleeves scattered below it. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Monkees... Betty grabbed that last one and put it on. I'm a Believer played in the background and I sat on my bed with my back against the wall. Betty snuggled up on the bed with her head in my lap, calming down to the cheesy love song.

A/N: somehow this chapter got skipped, but it was in my queue. Explains the sudden jump in story.


	12. Torched with Fire

There must have been something terribly wrong with Alice because she left without Betty. We waited in my room until we fell asleep and we didn't wake up until my alarm went off the following morning. On our way to Southside we peered into the trailer to see Alice rampaging to make it livable. I doubted she would stay there for long, but Alice seemed like that type to make even a motel room more like home. Honestly we just wanted to make sure she was still there and hadn't just abandoned her daughter.

Southside was not a very nice looking school. They had a pay phone instead of a free phone in the office, and there was a security guard. No wonder they assumed I burned down my own place of employment. I may not have gone to this school yet but I came from the same side of town as these kids and it screamed "school-to-prison pipeline". The kids themselves were decent, though.

Some I recognized from that time at the police station. Another person I recognized was Joaquin who took a step back when he saw me.

"Joaquin, wait!" He looked like a trapped animal but complied. Everyone always listened to me here. It was weird.

"Betty, this is Kevin's boyfriend Joaquin. Joaquin, this is one of Kevin's best friends, Betty Cooper." The tension left his shoulders, like he was expecting a different conversation. "Relax pal, Jones men aren't rats." We talked him into being out unofficial tour guide and it was the friendliest I've ever seen anyone be to a new person. I guess to them I was, as Kevin would put it, a Kennedy. Maybe that was tasteless to say since it was just over half a decade since JFK was assassinated.

Some people came up to Betty specifically and more than one guy asked to kiss the back of her hand. Being a legacy child through Alice gave Betty credentials, even without any cred from her grandmother in The Scorpions. She was the princess to my prince, as far as they were concerned. Things were great here, and we could lay low under the drama at the main school died down. The only real down side was that there wasn't enough funding for a school paper here and we missed our three friends we would have had to leave behind. If Joaquin could do it, though, then so could we.

We sat in on a math class when everyone started to leave. Soon enough curiousity got the best of us and we followed the crowd. Half pulled out of a dumpster was a body that was mostly just burned bone. People were speculating who it was and police soon showed up. I heard something about acquisition letters for dental records, but I already knew who it was.

He wasn't missing, he was dead. The red hair was a dead giveaway. He was Jason Blossom and it was clear that they torched him up at the drive in, almost taking two more casualties with him that night. There were no other real fires in the past while, so that had to be it. Suddenly this new safe haven didn't feel so safe, especially with my one man war with the jocks and then already pinning the fire on me. Bail money wasn't going to save me from a court date.

It must have been pretty obvious that I was freaking out because Betty stopped and wrapped her arms around me, tight. I hadn't said anything but I think she knew. Should we run? I'd probably get strung up if I stayed. Evidence hardly mattered with a trial by jury. In a town like this, it would be biased. I had seen 12 Angry Men, I knew how this worked. I just doubted I would get that one person willing to change the tides for me. Southsiders tended to be ignored for jury duty because of some conflict of interest belief or some crap. If I ran, though, I'd just look guilty as sin and there'd be not even a hair of a chance of escaping that.

But I wasn't alone anymore. My decisions had impact. It was not my choice to make alone. If I decided to leave and Betty decided to stay, she would have been vulnerable to attack on all sides. I pressed my hand on her back and lead her away to the edge of the school for more privacy.

"Betty, what should we do? Should we just cut our losses and hightail it out of here or should we stay and fight this? I can't make this decision alone." I rubbed circles onto her palm and she bit her lip. That may have been a bit much pressure to put her under.

"More than anything, I would love to run away with you and away from this god forsaken town," she reached up, tangling her free hand in my hair, "but I'm not sure I'm ready to make off like Bonnie and Clyde. That didn't end well. It would also burn bridges. We would never be welcomed back."

I rested my forehead against hers. "Okay, we'll stay then. I'm not a coward anyways."

"You wouldn't need to be. We'll fight this together. And we probably still have time. Let's just go back to sitting in classes and then maybe go for a milkshake at Pop's. Who knows, maybe we can even visit my grandma. I think she likes you."

We walked arm in arm back to class, a day decidedly less eventful after the big event of this morning, though everyone was talking about it. We tried to pretend that everything was fine even though it really wasn't. 'Fake till you make it' philosophy and all that. I wouldn't have made it if Betty wasn't there to hold my hand. It was a bit selfish of me to be glad that Betty got pulled into this mess but I needed her like I needed air to breath and in this city I was suffocating.

Archie and Ronnie were also at Pop's after school and they stood up when they saw us come in.

"I saw you two leave with Alice yesterday and you didn't show up for school today. What happened? Is everything okay?" Archie's mouth was practically running a mile a minute.

"Hal and Alice got into a fight and she's as independent as nuclear housewives go so she left to her brief home on the Southside. I had no idea the place she owns was anybody's, let alone hers. Today Betty and I decided to tour Southside High. With all that's going on, we thought it might be safer there. That was a bit naive, though. Nowhere is safe anymore."

"I get that Chuck's a bully, but aren't you being a bit dramatic, Jug?" Veronica elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs for being so insensitive.

I let out a dark chuckle. "You missed the biggest part. This is even bigger than the impending North versus South inevitable civil war. Today at Southside High a body was found. It was all burned up and the only real identifying feature was the bright red hair." I waited a minute for this to sink in. "The only big fire in town recently was at the drivein, a fire the police station has already tried to pin on me, and there's only one person with red hair that hasn't been seen in a few days."

"Jason Blossom," Veronica said dryly. I nodded. The same Jason Blossom that knocked up Polly Cooper who was currently away at a nunnery awaiting the arrival of her child.

"Maybe we can solve the murder before the police get to me. It's probably the best chance we have without flaking off town."

Betty pulled her binder out of her book bag and ripped out a page. She then grabbed a pen and started scribbling names, everyone she could think of. Her parents, Polly, FP, The Blossoms, everyone. "We just have to suspect everyone and cross them off as we go by means of deduction. So I'll cross off all 4 of our names and Polly. She isn't even in town so it couldn't have been her. I'd like to cross out FP's name but I really feel like we should talk to him first."

My skin pricked at the thought, but I knew Betty was right and she seemed to like my dad so it wouldn't be a witch hunt. Maybe a poor choice of words, in consideration for recent events.

So looking at what we knew. We knew there were two murders in the Blossom family in the past few generations. Betty was secretly related to the Blossoms and her sister was pregnant with... her third cousin's baby? That put the Coopers pretty high on the list, especially since they did not like the Blossoms to begin with. This raised the question of why. Did they have something to do with the murder of one of their own? That sounded horrifying, and yet that still put them higher on the list as well. We crossed off Fred because he had no quarrel and would have been too busy anyways. We crossed off a lot of names. Then there was Chuck with a big bold question mark. He was co captain with Jason and had now become full captain. That was a big deal and would look a lot better in football scholarship applications. Plus, the murder was clearly done at my work hence the gasoline so he could have easily done that to frame me. He seemed to know a lot about it the following day when his team confronted me, and he didn't seem worried about a missing member.

"We don't have to follow that lead today. It's Friday so we have all day tomorrow. Let's just go visit my grandma and see what she knows about Cooper. Maybe understanding one Blossom murder will help us gain insight into another one." We excused ourselves and left our two friends to attempt enjoying their date, something I'm not sure they could now that this town seemed just a little darker.

When we arrived, Kathlyn was packing up her things. She stopped to visit and make us tea with a new-to-her set she had gotten since we had seen her Wednesday. I felt comfortable enough to throw on my gang jacket.

"If you took off that hat, you'd look just like your father. Your grandfather, too, when I got him to try on one of my dad's jackets. Have you ever seen him without his hat on? Men in that family are debonair as they come." I slowly peeled off my hat, feeling more and more like an exposed nerve. Betty gasped and her grandmother just chuckled. "What did I tell you, Elizabeth?"

I blushed a bright red and then slid my cap back on. "You look good as a greaser in a gang." She whispered into my ear causing all the hairs in the back of my neck to stand up. I swallowed awkwardly.

"To get back to why we are here. Last time you said the Cooper Blossom case was never solved, right?"

"It was actually very strange, really. They had just started up a business together. Making maple syrup, like the kind you can still buy at the store. It's where they got all their money. They could have had the best men on the job and kept the case open for decades but they didn't. I kept a deadbolt on my door for nothing. Nobody ever came by to question me. Now it's not my place to say but shortly after the murder, Cooper's wife and son decided to change their last name to his first. Doesn't that seem odd to you? To distance themselves from the rest of the family? Forsythe always thought the murderer was my dad, and maybe it was, but I am extremely sure the Blossoms had something to do with it. My dad was actually friends with the Blossoms at the time, which was weird considering there has always been a fine line in the sand between the north and south end of town. There's actually rumours going around about gentrifying that part of the Southside where that old drivein used to be, too. Things are bubbling up and I think it's time I left this town before things get worse. I have an older brother in Chicago who said I could move in with him and his family. I'm sorry to be doing this to you, Betty, but I love you." She finished packing her bags and we walked her to the train station, waving goodbye as she went.

It was a good thing we went when we did, I guess. Sometimes you just had to get out. Maybe some day Betty and I could go visit her in Chicago. Archie's grandparents on his mother's side actually moved there to retire some years back.

This had been a tiring day so I decided to walk Betty back to her trailer. We were stopped when we passed mine, however. Alice and FP were frowning as Sheriff Keller came up to me once again. I had less time than I thought.


	13. Scape Goats and Leather Jackets

I wondered how long they had waited for us. I was so sure we would at least have a day to figure this out.

"Forsythe, Elizabeth, I'm taking you two in for questioning."

"Why Betty?" Yet again I was dragging her through the mud with me and I felt like crap. I could tear my hair out.

"You were both at the scene of the fire and were in attendance of Southside High, a few block away from there, when the body was found. This is just routing questioning, I promise."

" _Get me a lawyer_ " I mouthed to my dad, who followed behind us with Alice in his truck. I squeezed Betty's hand and she squeezed back. I readjusted my hat with my other hand so it was in better. That made me feel more secure.

They grilled Betty but she was cleared pretty quick before they brought me back into the familiar room. Sitting there waiting for me was Archie's mom. It made sense. She was a lawyer and we probably couldn't afford one that wasn't doing it for cheap or pro bono as a favour.

"Things have only gotten worse since we talked the other day, Forsythe Jones. Now you're wearing a Serpents jacket? Things don't look good for you."

"It's just a jacket, and even if I was a serpent, that doesn't prove a thing and you know it."

"Jughead's right. The jacket is as much evidence as a Hell's Angels jacket proves you're in Hell's Angels. I've seen those for sale around as novelty items." I felt so much better with Mrs Andrews sitting beside me, like I had somebody on my team. She knew my dad in high school so I knew she wasn't judgmental even though she probably was mildly disapproving based on our families fallouts.

This time there was a different person waiting by the receptionist for me once I got out. Having a lawyer made all the difference. I really felt like all my civil rights were left in tact. It was Pop. He paid my bail this time as it was much higher than the other day. He also offered me a job, saying I could keep half the money and the other could go back to him to recoup for this favour. He said I was his _favourite_ customer but I probably more or less kept him in business during the slow season. He gave me a week before I had to start, to give me time to sort this mess out. My dad drove us home, but Betty asked to come over, kissing her mom in the cheek and we wheeled back to the trailer.

Dad sighed, expecting what was coming, and I slid my hat off. I was feeling vulnerable, and I needed him to know that.

"Alright before you ask, it wasn't me. Not everything the Serpents do is legal, but we would never go that far. We're small time to get by, not the mafia." I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't even realize I was holding in. "You didn't actually think I was though, right?" He looked a bit hurt.

"No Dad, we're just trying to figure this out before I get strung up for a murder I had no part in. I just needed to hear it so we could cross it off our city wide list of names."

"We trust you, FP. You're family." My god did I ever love this girl. We sat down for a late dinner. It was a ready made lasagne my dad had got out of the freezer. It felt right, having just the three of us and for the first time since Jellybean left, I really felt like part of a family.

Now it was time to face Betty's family. Betty's Dad hated the Blossoms and Alice was not too impressed with the fact that Jason had impregnated her teenager. Honestly in this day and age, this wasn't that shocking as a lot of kids dropped out of school to be parents. She just wanted more for her daughters. Alice was always a pusher, pushing them to do more and be what she considered to be better.

I once again loaned her my coat for the walk. I stopped, suddenly.

"Do you want your own jacket?" I asked. She breathed in the leather.

"No, I like your coat. It smells like you. Just get another one for you and let me borrow it from time to time." This was a terrible thing to talk about on my way to meet the big bad Cooper Momma Bear as what she said really got my adrenaline running and my hormones pumping. I lightly pushed her against the park's chainlink fence, connecting our faces in passion. I felt like I would die without her. Eventually we ran out of breath and she giggled. We continued on like nothing happened but we kept sending each other knowing glances that seemed to say _to be continued_.

We heard her before we got close. It was more yelling. She thought she was safe here from Hal's influence but she was wrong. Here he was, screaming at her. I stopped Betty from walking. She didn't need to hear this.

"God Hal, you just can't let what my mother did go but we all know it was your great uncle that killed his own brother. Why else would your father change last names? Why else would your family make their fortune elsewhere? Your family, as excommunicated as they are, are far more guilty than mine. And now Betty's being put on trial for murder. This is ridiculous."

"Do you even hear yourself?! You were the one who took off with our daughter and her friend-"

"Boyfriend, they're dating now."

"Did you even discipline her for having him up in her room alone? You don't even deserve to be a mother!"

She sniffled. "You made that very clear already when you forced me to give up Chic just because you weren't ready to be a father. I was only fooling myself, sacrificing my own son to get out of the south side of town. I think it's time you leave. You've done enough damage already."

He got into their car, the one she had driven us here in, and took off with a huff. I gently pressed Betty on the shoulder. "Go to her, she needs you." She gave me a quick peck and took off towards the crumpled mess that had given birth to her so many years earlier and I wondered just what happened to this Chic Cooper.

A/N: I probably switch between Canadian and American spellings of certain words but I try to catch myself. I'm a Canadian so that's why. It's hard writing from an America's perspective, especially from decades before.


	14. Let's Play Chicken

When I got home, I noticed my dad was hitting the bottle hard. He was blitzed already and I knew that wouldn't bode well for tomorrow. I took the car keys with me to my room and I spent all night thinking about this new information, wondering if Betty was doing the same once her mother was lulled to sleep.

It was becoming pretty obvious the reason Kathlyn never saw a day in court was because the murder was shoved under the rug. Blossom killed Blossom and probably paid off the Sheriff at the time to keep things quiet. While most of us would get a short stop and a quick drop for that, money could seemingly make any problem go away.

On top of that, out there somewhere was Betty's secret brother. From her reaction, I could tell she had no idea. It made me sympathetic. My sister may have been gone but at least I knew her. I decided to write her a letter in case things took a turn for the worst.

Dear JB (Jellybean) Jones

I haven't heard from you in a while. Long distances calls are expensive. I hope you're having a good time in Toledo. I miss you every single day. Things are going _so_ well here. Firstly, Dad is still being, well, himself. Secondly, it's actually me getting in trouble. I'd tell you not to worry, but that wouldn't be very honest of me. I was getting into fights at school for being friends with Betty. You remember her, right? She taught me how to braid your hair when you were small. Anyways it escalated into attacks and then the Drivein burned down (sorry you have to hear about that like this, I know you loved it as much as I did) and now they found the body of a kid who had been set on fire. The Sheriff is pretty sure it's me who did it, but it's not. It doesn't matter if you believe me really because the jury will probably string me up anyways. I wish I could see you one last time, but it's too dangerous. Don't worry though, I'm not lonely. Betty and I have decided to go steady and I think I'm in love with her. She's the best thing here, like family. I'm also kind of a Serpent now I think but they're not as bad as people will lead you to believe.

Take care of yourself, JB

Love Big Brother Jughead X

I put it in an envelope and set it down next to my record player, finally drifting off to sleep. I was only a few hours in when I heard a sound. I was all on edge. Someone was opening my window and I inched towards the light switch. I turn it on and in tumbled Betty.

"Sorry, did I scare you? I just did not want to be in that house with all the drama floating around, plus I missed you." I pulled her into me and my heart beat slowed back down to a manageable level. I kissed the top of her head.

"You're always welcome here. I'll show you where the spare key is when this is all over." I was still pretty tired and from the looks of things, she was too. Alice had probably just gotten to sleep not that long ago. We crawled back into my tiny bed. It was a snug fit but this time we slept in it on purpose. _Is this what domesticity feels like?_ For the first time in my life I actually dreamed of a future where I started my own family. This wasn't really something I had considered or been interested in before. I held her a little closer. It was too soon to say, but I'd like to think she would make a wonderful Mrs Jones some day and I'd work tirelessly to give her the wedding she probably always dreamed of.

Soon enough the sun started to shine through the blinds, alerting us that it was day time again. I washed some pots and made bacon, eggs, and toast for the three of us. Dad was awake and willing to eat but was otherwise not feeling well. He had been pretty good with the alcohol lately, so it was weird to see him with a hangover. I wasn't too jazzed about it, but I understood that he was coping with the stress of basically just having me for a son. Trouble seems to follow us Jones men around.

I felt around and noticed I still had the truck keys in my pocket. I was feeling a lot more anxious about walking around town, especially with Betty here with me and us looking for my arch nemesis, Chuck Clayton.

"Dad you're not in any condition to drive but I have places to be. I'm taking the truck, hope that's okay." He gave me a grunt which usually meant yes.

This was actually my very first time driving with someone other than my dad and the guy who gave me my license. I was excited and nervous. I only ever really got to drive when my dad was too drunk, which I guess was a lot more often than it should have been. I'm pretty sure that was the reason he paid for my test to get done in the first place.

We drove to the north end of town, near where Veronica and the other high class rich people lived. There was a country club up there with a golf course, tennis court, and a pool. It was crazy how much some money could get you when almost half the town was in poverty. I found it to be a bit disgusting, another reason why it took me so long to give a crap about Veronica, even though she had as much say in her family's finances as Betty and I did.

We passed Chuck Clayton in his car. Reggie and Moose were with him, laughing at something he said, when he saw me. It was like he was going red. He started tailgating the truck. He probably would have bashed into it if he wasn't driving a very expensive and very posh car. He rolled down his window and I rolled down mine.

"Hey loser, lets play a game. You either play chicken with us, or you are a chicken. You know, I think I like that. Chickens are dumb, weak animals that live in cages. Sounds just like you, doesn't it? Oh and then we kill them."

I was livid.

"I'm game, Chuckles, but you're going to lose! You're really starting to cheese me off and people don't like me when I get angry."

He growled at me. "People don't like you either way, dumbass!"

We lined his car and my truck up on a rarely used side street and he revved his engine. Mine was a piece of crap, so I didnt. That didn't matter though, I was relying on nerve and skill, not money. Maybe if I could scare him, he'd leave me the hell alone.

Moose stood on the sidelines with Reggie between the cars, counting down and I got Betty to sit on a bench nearby. She objected, of course, and tried to talk me out of playing but I had a point to prove and I wasn't about to put her in danger for it.

 **Three, two, one,** _ **go**! _ The truck did me well, jumping from 0 to 50 mph at the drop of a hat. I kept going but the anxiety was mounting. I wanted to call his bluff but Betty was also sitting right outside, clutching the arm rest on the bench like her life depended on it. I was about to turn away when he clucked out.

"You're dead meat, 'Jug Head'! Nobody makes a fool out of me!" He slammed the door of his car and ran at me like a raging bull. _Oh shit_. He went to punch me but I could see it coming a mile away so I easily dodged it. He tried again and barely touched my face when I moved yet again. Finally, this time it was I who threw the punch, hitting the target and watching him stumble back.

"With the way you're acting, I'm starting to believe it was you that framed me for the murder of your friend Jason."

Moose and Reggie started to close in on me and they got a few hits in when a car honked their horn at us, making the jocks scatter.

I walked over to Betty, limping a bit, and I noticed blood trailing down her arm. I pulled out her hands and pried them open. Her mascara ran as she cried. She had little crescent marks from her nails on each palm, and it had leaked a lot of blood. She probably had as many wounds as I did even though she wasn't involved in the fight, it was just her anxious habit.

"I'm sorry Betty, I'm so sorry." I apologized like a mantra. I took the beanie off my head and used it to wipe off the blood. "I should never have put myself in danger like this just because I was angry. It was reckless and stupid and I'm sorry."

"He made me so angry and then I was so scared and anxious and sometimes this just happens. I feel a migraine coming on and all of a sudden there's blood on my hands. This isn't all your fault, you never asked to be picked on, I just can't control _this_." She looked down at her hands.

"I really really l-like you Betty Cooper, please don't hurt yourself." I choked into the crook of her neck. She froze when I said this. I did meant to say that I loved her but I was afraid it was too soon.

"I really really like you too, Jughead, and I'll try but I can't make any promises. Just don't scare me like that again, let's get you cleaned up." She pulled my face up to hers and we kissed, then looked over to the car that honked earlier.

It was a jet black town car and somebody was getting out of the back door. It was our resident rich girl, which I guess made sense since this was her side of town. She invited us to come visit for a while and treat our wounds. Hermione Lodge happened to be away so Smithers made us tea and coffee.

"I heard from Kevin that you two were taken in for questioning. How was that?" Did everything she say make me want to roll my eyes?

"Not gonna ask about what happened with Chuck? Well fine then. It wasn't pleasant if that's what you mean, and now I basically owe a life debt to Pop Tate. Betty here was fine though. It was a lot better this time with Mrs Andrews there to represent me."

"Now Veronica, it's our turn for a question. What exactly does your dad do for a living?"


	15. Death by Syndicate

"Now Veronica, it's our turn for a question. What exactly does your dad do for a living?"

There was a pause.

"My dad was a businessman. He was also under investigation for mistreatment of some of his factory workers. Mom and I also found out he was involved in a drug and crime syndicate called the Scorpions."

"The Scorpions? But they disbanded a lot time ago." Betty's eyebrows squishes together in thought and confusion.

"If they did, then they must have gotten back together. He had an inside contact named Mustang who apparently knows the ins and outs of this town. My mom, however, disagreed with all this and threatened to tell the lawyers. He ran at her with a knife and I shot him with one of the family guns to save my mother. Hiram Lodge is... Burried. People don't like widowers, though, so we just lie and say he's away on business constantly. Luckily he left us enough money to maintain our lifestyles indefinitely. It was just super shitty to find out as a daddy's girl that your father is a criminal and otherwise bad person. It's also why my mom is working right now. We're living on savings and she's stockpiling so we don't run out. It feels so good to say that out loud. Keeping it a secret has incredibly hard, even though nobody really asks."

I looked over at Betty, who was still holding my beanie. She was looking a bit pale and my hat was looking squishy. _Dammit_. We really should have started cleaning up her hands by now.

"Hey Ron, do you have a first aid kit around here somewhere? Betts accidentally hurt herself earlier and I'd like to clean it up." She rolled her eyes, clearly thinking I needed some medical attention too. She then walked us to the bathroom and grabbed a bulky red bag from under the sink.

"Should I leave you to it then, Romeo?" I nodded and she shut the door behind her. I brought her hands over the sink and let my hat drop in. I turned on the water, rinsing it out and cleaning my girlfriend's wounds. She yelped as the water stung, but it had to be done. It is strange how someone can hurt themselves on purpose and not mind the pain but once they're out of that mindset the wounds are vulnerable. I rubbed some salve on it and wrapped some bandages over top. I wrung out my hat the best I could but it was still way too wet to wear. _Sigh_. I washed my face and I looked fine, I just had a few knicks and cuts.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look amazing without that dumb hat on?" Veronica chimed, having reopened the door, causing Betty to glare at her. "Relax B, it was only a statement. You did good, but I'm not after your man. I've got a date with Archiekins tonight anyways."

"So what were you up to on this side of town before I needed to rescue you, anyways?"

"We were trying to investigate Chuck. Apparently that's a lot harder than it looks. I beat him at Chicken by an inch of our seats, which was by far the dumbest thing I've ever purposefully done in my life by the way, and he went off on me when he lost. Total sore loser. Doesn't really prove that he wasn't involved, though. It's just so annoying that we have to investigate all the usual suspects because Kevin's asshole dad is so set on me being some pyro serial killer or something."

"The usual suspects... We should talk to the Blossoms next. If we're pretty sure their great grandfather killed mine then whose to say they didn't murder Jason." Betty suggested.

"Wait, what?!" Veronica looked confused.

"Oh, right. The other day when we were talking about suspects at Pop's, we mentioned something about the Blossoms. As it turns out, traditionally Betty's name should be Betty Blossom. The reason why it is _not_ is because Cheryl and Jason's great grandfather murdered Betty's great grandfather in cold blood for control over their syrup company. Crazy runs in that family so I wouldn't put it past them to be the ones who killed Jason, too. The only question is why. So yeah, we have the suspects narrowed down to Chuck, Hal Cooper, maybe Alice Cooper, and Clifford or Penelope Blossom."

"What? Betty that's insane! But I think you should put Cheryl on that list."

"Why? Cheryl was the one who probably loved Jason the most, except for Polly. She wouldn't kill him."

"Unless she was jealous and upset when she found out Polly was pregnant. I got major creepy incest vibes from those two, like a gothic horror romance novel. Polly being his second cousin, or is it third, doesn't really detract from that. After what happened with my dad, I thoroughly believe rich people are more likely to be tied up with evil than everyone else- including people who wear jackets like that one." She pointed to my jacket.

Regardless of whether we were going to interrogate Cheryl, we had to figure out how we were going to get the Blossoms to talk to us at all. If they did it, they wouldn't want to interrogate themselves, and if they didn't then they wouldn't want to risk their reputation by letting that idea get out. I was either going to have to get creative, or let some people with a little bit more experience join in on the plan.

"If you're coming, throw on a leather jacket. We're going to see some friends." It was time I paid the serpents a visit. Maybe they would have some insight if I just pledged my loyalty.

Veronica seemed almost a bit too excited and she quickly jotted down that she was hanging out with Betty and I before her date with our redhaired friend, leaving the note by the phone just in case. She hopped in the back, smiling ear to ear. Archie once said she loves being driven around without a chauffeur because it felt more real. Not sure if that would ever make sense, but it didn't really matter. While the adults usually hung around the Whyte Wyrm, the younger folks tended to prefer to lounge around near the high school. That's where I found the same crew that rescued me from Keller merely days before.

"Here to accept our offer, Prince?" Chevy asked.

"It's just Jughead, and I'm considering it. For now I'm keeping my alliance as leverage if that's okay. As I'm sure you're all well aware, I'm in it even deeper now that Jason's body was found around here. I'm trying to find who. I have a few clues, but if there's anything you can offer than I'd be willing to 'pay' for the help."

"Well whoever did it put the body in the trash for a reason. The haste stow job either meant they were rushed or they wanted us to find it to raise suspicion to this end of town. Possibly even both. Whose on the shit list?"

"Shit list?" Veronica asked.

"Oh right, by the way this is my girlfriend Betty who you may have seen around the trailer park, and her best friend Veronica. They're helping me solve this. Ron, he means list of suspects. We have Betty's mom and dad, this ass named Chuck Clayton who you may have heard of, and apparently every surviving member of the Blossom family. Obviously we'll require some tact when we approach Betty's family, but we mostly need to find a way to get to the Blossoms."

"Hmm... Well is Nana Rose still around? Matron of Thornhill. She's old enough that if she's still kicking, she might have some answers." Ah right, I had forgotten about her since she rarely left Thornhill anymore. "I'll have the boys do some looking around, too. Anything to keep Junior out of jail." He clicked his teeth twice at me. I was still a bit apprehensive about joining but ultimately I felt I probably should. They had my back, and that's more than I could ask for. I was about to walk away when I turned around to face them again.

"Oh one more thing before I leave, I'm going to need another jacket." The guys smiled and looked between Betty and me.

"Same as before or smaller and curvy?" A guy in the back asked.

"Relax guys, it's just for me. I simply think it wouldn't hurt to have a spare." They looked at me as if to say _yeah, right._ I just smiled and left with my arms around the shoulders of two ladies. It was a sign of protection, just in case they thought Veronica was free game.

I dropped her off at Archie's place, though he looked a bit concerned to see her in a leather jacket even though it had no snake on the back. She told him to relax and he did. I'm sure she explained everything else, too, but before we could blink they were gone inside. I was so glad I had rescued Betts from the fate of being the eternal third wheel to those two. Archie seemed to be more committed to Ronnie now, too.

When we got back into the truck, Betty faced me.

"I'll do the talking. I look like Polly and Polly always said she got along with Nana Rose. Now we just have the figure out when she would be at that mansion by herself."

"Well that gives us two options. We can either cause a distraction, or we could just wait until tomorrow when they're off at church. I'm sure it's too much effort to bring her along these days." It seemed like such a smooth plan, leaving me with a truck and Betty for the rest of the day, but I was on borrowed time.

"Okay, tomorrow morning it is, but we should go see my dad and talk that out today. The sooner we figure this out, the better. I don't even want to rest until we have you off the hook." She squeezed my hand and we got out of the vehicle to walk into Betty's old house.

"Dad, are you home?" It was eerily quiet in the house and the lights were all off.

"I'm in the backyard!" He had yelled but it was muffled by the walls of the house. We went out the back door and saw Hal sitting in front of a burning barrel full of who knew what.

"What are you burning, Dad?" Betty peered in to get a better look but it was too hot to see anything so she backed off.

"Well maybe I'll start the questions, Betty. Who's this you've brought with you? Boyfriend? I thought you were into that Andrews kid next door." She gripped my hand tight.

"Dad, this is Jughead Jones. And yes, we're dating. Are you going to answer my question now, Dad, because there was a murder in town and burning a bunch of stuff seems awfully suspicious."

"Relax Betty, they're old editions of the Register I've had lying around. I'm shocked you think I'd even do something like that, honey. I know I didn't exactly approve of Jason and Polly, especially since he knocked her up, but I could barely handle spanking you girls as kids let alone murder."

Betty looked relieved but then she decided to read into the embers from a safer distance.

Justice for Cooper Blossom (front page)

Murder Investigation Dead End (page 3)

The Blossoms did it! (front page)

Apologies, Previous Story Redacted (front page)

The anxiety slowly crept back in again.

"Come on, Betty. It's getting late."

"I'm sorry about Great Grandpa Cooper, dad. I really am." With that, we left. Mr Cooper did not chase us, nor did he say a word.

We went to go see his estranged wife, next, and as luck would have it she was standing in front of the trailer waiting for us, with arms crossed.

"Elizabeth Cooper, just where have you been all day? Don't you know it's not safe to go out right now?"

"Relax mom, I have Jug." She looked up at me like I was her night in shining armour with a knitted crown to boot. I didn't know if I was strong enough to protect her, though, especially if things went sour fast. My mouth went dry. "We were just investigating what happened. I don't want Jughead to get stringed up for something he didn't do. I was there! I am proof that he couldn't have done it. We just need more than that so everyone else can see the truth, too."

"You're too close to this, Betty. I don't like it. You're in far too much danger." Her eyes went straight to mine and what she said next made me want to deck her right in the face but I don't hit ladies and I know Betty wouldn't have approved. "And Jones boys have trouble following them like a shadow." For the umpteenth time today, Betty gripped my arm like her life depended on it. There was a darkness in her eyes, and it maybe scared me a bit.

"I don't care, mother. I love Jughead. Jughead and FP are family to me. I don't care if I'm in danger. How could I live with myself if the love of my life was found guilty of murder and I did nothing to help save him? You know what, I'm staying over there tonight. These might be big decisions, but they're mine to make. Come on Jughead." She pulled me along.

When we got to my trailer, I pinned her against the siding, arms trapping her in, faces mere inches apart.

"Did you mean all of that, or were you just trying to piss her off?" Her breath fanned my face and it was intoxicating.

She wrapped her arms round my neck. "I meant it, every word. I know we're young, but sometimes when life is thrown at you this way, you're forced to grow up a little faster. I've always been a bit mature for my age and now I know for sure what I want and it's you. You're my family, and it doesn't have to be a nuclear family with a white picket fence. We could have an apartment or a trailer or even run our own hotel. As long as we're together, I'll be home with you. I love you, Jughead." Her voice sounded so vulnerable and she went up on her toes so she could kiss me. It wasn't a kiss based on sexual tension or exploration like before. It was gentle like lovers. I responded in kind.

"I know I almost said it before, but god I love you Betty Cooper. Let's go home."

We spent the night pretending everything was domestic and normal, instead of preparing for the on coming storm raging outside. It didn't really matter to me anymore, so long as Betty didn't get dragged down with me. I was happy, and if I had to die, this would be how I'd want to spend my last few days.


	16. Trouble at Thornhill Manor

**Beep beep beep**. I clenched my eyes, willing the alarm clock to turn off. Just another five minutes of pretending Betty and I were just two teenagers in love. Unfortunately time stops for no man so I was forced to get up. Betty helped me make the three of us a hardy breakfast, inspiring my dad who looked a lot better today to suggest we keep better food in the house for her and I to cook with. It didn't seem to bother him that Betty had stayed the night, again. She probably felt like as much of a permanent fixture around here to him as she was to me. It was like she has said yesterday, we were family. I smiled, genuinely smiled, at that.

"I'm taking the truck again dad. We have something we need to check out."

"You two stay safe, alright? I see those scars, however small, on your face Jug. And you keep our girl out of trouble, you hear me? I'll never here the end of it from Alice if you don't." He was just as concerned but he wasn't ready to say that out loud, I could tell.

The two of us piled into the truck and we just looked at each other, wordlessly. She nodded and we took off down the road. While Thornhill Manor was in the rich part of town, it was technically slightly out of town. Their property was huge, and covered in maple trees. We pulled over nearby and hid the truck behind a large group of bushes. They had a locked gate at the front of their property and we had no intention of wasting time trying to get through that in a big old Ford.

We peered into the driveway and noticed that the main car was gone, so we slid through the fence and walked right up, knocking on the door. It took about five minutes but finally somebody answered. It was just the lady we were looking for and her old eyes came to life upon seeing Betty.

"Polly, how wonderful of you to visit! You sure are smart, though, waiting around for Clifford and Penelope to leave. Come in child." So I guess this would have been Betty's great aunt, technically, through her marriage into the Blossom family.

She sat us down for tea and she rested her hand upon Betty's.

"Between you, me, and Cheryl, I really feel like we're the only ones who were truly heartbroken by this travesty. I really do appreciate you coming to check up on me. We're family, you and I. Sometimes I feel like I'm treated as merely a ghost here, though don't let Clifford know I said that. It's a shame. This house used to be so full of life. They're right, now it is filled with ghosts, just not the ones they think. Oh and it looks like you've brought a friend with you. Is that Chic?" I was taken back and I could only assume Betty was, too.

"No, no. We have no idea where Chic is. This is Jughead Jones. He's the one they're blaming the murder on but you have to believe me when I say it's not him."

She looked up at me with scanning eyes. "Of course not. Doesn't everybody know who killed Jason? Well it's only expected to be swept under the rug, just like last time. It's a shame. Maybe I married into the wrong family, this one is cursed. I don't know if the bloodshed will ever stop, and now I'm much too old and frail to do anything about it. I truly am sorry, Polly. I wanted nothing more than for you and Jason to be happy. The only thing left to live for is those babies." She started to cry and Betty went to console her. I wandered around the house, finding Jason's room with ease. I checked around and found an envelope under his mattress. Suddenly a bell rang, signalling that the next hour had arrived. I paled. The Blossoms could be back at any moment. I ran back into the entertaining room.

"We have to go. Now." Betty got up but turned around when we reached the door.

"It was nice seeing you. Please don't tell anyone we were here."

"Of course dear, your secret is safe with me."

We ran as fast as we could but we were too late. We dove into the barn to the left of the driveway to hide as the homeowners got back from church. Inside were barrels upon barrels of maple syrup.

"What's that smell?" I went over to a barrel and light tapped the sides. The sound didn't bounce all the way to the bottom. I twisted and barrel and underneath was a black bag. Once we opened it, I had to cover Betty's mouth the muffle the scream. There were drugs, gun, diamond, the lot of it. Right next to it was a picture of a scorpion. Betty started to dry heave. I put it back how it was before and I gently escorted her out the back. We followed the trees to the property line and crawled through the fence, eventually finding the truck. This was so much more than just a murder, and we were in a lot of trouble for finding it out.


	17. This Means War II

Betty convinced me to go to the police. I mean, we were looking for the killer so when we figured it out we would have to go there, but it gave me bad nerves. We sat in the parking lot, hearts beating out of our chests. We could have easily been murdered if we were found out. At this point I had no doubt that family was more than capable. Betty opened her door and went to get out when she looked at me quizzically for remaining glued to my seat.

"I'm stupid, Betty. It's all a red herring."

"What do you mean? The Blossoms have ties to organized crime. This just proves that they probably paid off the Scorpions so they could murder my great grandpa and are apparently still in it deep."

"I understand that Betty, and they're guilty as sin. I'm pretty sure they're using their lucrative maple syrup business more or less as a cover. Maybe it's always been that way. Maybe Cooper disagreed the same way as Hermione Lodge did, and that's why they took him out. It seems more plausible, right? But that only proves _that_ murder. We didn't find gasoline or matches or anything. It would keep them busy for a while, but it's not enough to get me off the hook."

She got back into the car. "Drive." She gave me instructions and we came upon the Register's office. It was closed for the day, but Betty happened to have a spare key. We snuck in, locking the door behind us and keeping the lights off. It was a bit nicer than our office at the Blue and Gold, which made sense since this was a business and not just a school spirit activity.

Betty sat down at a typewriter and I read over her shoulder. It was like reading a crime novel, except for the chilling knowledge that this account was real. It was an exposé on the North side and how the double dichotomy of rich/poor and good/evil weren't as faithful as we were lead to believe. She started with Chuck and went on to talk about her locker and how I was assumed to be a criminal not once but twice. She even threw in a few words about the assumptions about the Southside Serpents which segued into her next piece about a secret gang called the Scorpions, at least somewhat ran by none other than Clifford Blossom. She spoke about the weapons and drugs we had found. She probably could have talked about the bad dealings of Mr Lodge as well, but I understood that she wanted to protect her friend Veronica.

"Betty, this is the best thing I've ever read, but it scares me a bit. It's too speculative, and it puts you at far too much risk. I don't want you becoming any more of a target. Part of loving someone is wanting to keep them safe, Betts, and all I want to do is keep you safe." She smiled up at me.

"And I want to keep you safe too, Jug. You have to let me do this, it's my choice. The word will get out eventually anyways so it's high time the truth was exposed."

"Fine, but at least make the source anonymous. They don't have to know it was us." She nodded up at me in slow agreement.

Betty turned on the machine and instructed me on what to do. She practically grew up in this room and had a good understanding on how it all worked. We lost count of how many copies we made but it was starting to get dark by the time we left. Against my better judgement, we decided to deliver them around town for everyone to read for free. I suspected Betty's parents would probably be livid since ink and paper were fairly pricey, even if it was newspaper quality.

Now we just had to wait for the aftermath.

It came over the horizon the following day, like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The towns people with their pitch forks, trying to shoot the messenger. Nobody wanted their way of life to be disturbed and nobody wanted to admit the biggest town problems _didn't exactly come from the Southside community._

Slowly we all came out of our trailers, ready to face the town that forced us out to the edge. You could see Archie, Kevin, and Veronica trying to hold everyone back, but to no avail. It was as inevitable as the sun rising. The tension had grown and something had to give. It was the way of the world, like a piece of fiction. We were the greasers, the gang, and they were the jocks and the rich kids. By numbers, they appeared to have the upper hand, but we had experience and we carried knives. It looked from the outside like we were all going to charge, but a lot of the North side chickened out. Chuck wrestled me to the ground, pounding my face in and screaming obscenities about ruining his life. I just smiled. I felt like in the end I kind of won either way. Archie came and threw him off me before he did any permanent damage. He had a few scuff marks from his own tussles and I saw Ronnie sucker punch another girl who tried to pull her hair. Somehow our town angel was left untouched, horrified at the violence surrounding her.

"Stop! I did not write my piece to start a war. We must be more honest with ourselves. Must we really lower ourselves to cheap stereotypes and dichotomies?! Jughead was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Does that make him a criminal? No, but you were all going to string him up for it. We are all complicated and multifaceted. I was thrown from the Garden of Eden because I said I had gang members in my family. It was true, but I also have Hal and Alice as parents who have an otherwise spotless reputation and own the local newspaper! I am neither one, nor the other. I am both. Can't we all be a mixture of both?"

People stopped. They looked pensive, like they were considering her motion. I started to clap but then a roar erupted out from the North side.

"No! And you can hang, too! You're tainted, you filthy snake whore. Why should we listen to a damn thing you say?" Low and behold it was Chuck, fighting his way out of Archie's lockhold. "You can't stop this Elizabeth, it was fated in the starts that the North end of town would finally conquer what was left of the Southside. We will squash you like a snake underneath a boot. This is just your pathetic final stand."

"No! I stand in solidarity with the south!" Ronnie went and stood in the middle.

"Ronnie, get back here," Hermione Lodge hissed. Her charity had its limits.

"No Mom, I'm finally doing the right thing. Not everyone in the rich part of town is good. It's time they see that."

"Me too. I stand with the south, too." Archie held Veronica's hand with his free one.

"I stand with the south." Out stepped Hal. He looked over at Alice and she stepped up to hold his hand.

"Me too. Sorry dad." Kevin stood square against the north, next to Joaquin.

After that, more and more people came out of the woodwork. Dilton Doiley. Trevor and Valerie Brown. Moose Mason. Josie McCoy. Even Cheryl Blossom.

"My Nana Rose mysteriously died this morning. She may have been old, but she was doing fine until she had her breakfast tea. If this means standing against my parents, then I too stand in solidarity with the south." She stood next to Veronica.

"Cheryl so help me God if you don't take that back you will be disinherited from the family fortune." Penelope Blossom's voice seethed. Her husband stood stoic behind her. "All of these accusations are ridiculous. We are leaving."

A sigh came from the crowd. "I'm sorry Penelope, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that. As ridiculous as I feel these accusations are, I'm going to have to investigate them. Chuck Clayton, you'll have to come to the station as well." Finally Sheriff Keller was doing the right thing.

Chuck kicked the police car, but then Clifford took off running. Penelope looked on horrified, as she grabbed Cheryl's arm and headed to her car.

"Now I maybe am just getting this from watching so many crime films and reading mystery novels, but usually the ones who run are guilty. Am I finally off the suspects list now?" I asked, and Betty elbowed me in the side for my less than graceful way of phrasing.

Finally our story came to an epic conclusion. Clifford Blossom was eventually caught and sent to jail. Betty was right about going to the police since there was ample proof of the murder, he just never felt he'd be investigated for it. Now Riverdale itself wasn't going to change over night by any means but people were opening up. It was a start, a conversation.

The six of us took off to Pop's, clanking milkshake glasses. We celebrated there and then ended the night with a round of bowling. Archie kept getting a strike and I did fairly well myself but Betty came in first and Veronica could barely avoid a gutter ball once every three turns. For once we were just friends out acting like teenagers without all the drama and social stigma, oh and don't forget the danger. A night like that could change the world, and in some ways it did.

Would I still be bullied in school? Would I still have to balance my responsibilities of a kind of Serpent, novelist, journalist, student, and cook? Yes and yes, but I also had to deal with being the luckiest raven haired boy alive. I came out of this and survived with my best girl at my side. We were going to make it, I could tell.


	18. The Short Sweet After

The two schools maintained their names but ended up joining together as part of a community initiative to end the divisiveness. They were both campuses of Sweetwater Secondary. Betty and I took courses at both, maintaining our friends at RSS while also making new ones at SSS. By the time we graduated, Serpents had garnered as much respect from the community as the jocks and they really helped clean up this town. Chuck, who was kicked off the team by his own father after getting in trouble for vandalism and other harassment charges, even tried to join. He was thoroughly rejected, of course. Against all odds, Betty and I were crowned Prom King and Queen.

After graduating we both went to NYU and stayed in Veronica's vacation home there. She majored in journalism and I in creative writing. We were heading back to Riverdale, because if there was one thing I learned, it was that you have to be mindful of the past or you're destined to repeat it. We would keep the town in check; no backsliding. And that's where we are, here in my book.

Tonight I'm going to ask Betty to marry me after watching Murder on the Orient Express. I'm hoping we will get our own place. Maybe a house, maybe a trailer, though I have a sneaking suspicion she'd be happiest with a condo since it was neither one nor the other. Whatever she wants, though, I don't care. All I can say for sure is that maybe we can start our own family now, and they can grow up in the Riverdale I romanticized as a kid with no fear of judgement. Whatever the future held for us, we would face it together. Against all odds, the greaser got the cheerleader, and we could take on the world, one milkshake at a time.

Fin.


	19. Bonus aka Happily Ever After II

A/N: I've had people tell me I had a crap ending so hopefully this made it better. I actually didn't like my original ending but with a couple edits had come to terms with it before posting. I guess my first instinct was right so here's the bonus chapter. To switch it up, I'm telling it from Betty's perspective.

Things had been so busy since we got back into town. My mom said Jughead and I could use her old trailer as a home for a while and we had spent all week moving everything in and reorganizing it. The first night back we had Hungry Man TV dinners at FP's before we dropped from exhaustion. Yesterday night we had dinner at my parent's place and Betty came up with her kids Jason and Liz from Midvale. The kids were in elementary school now and it was crazy how time started to fly once everything settled down in town.

Tonight, however, we were meeting up with FP again just with Jughead's other two family members. This was a big deal as I hadn't seen Gladys or Jellybean since Jug and I were kids. He called them and visited maybe once a year but there was never enough room at their place in Toledo for me to come.

I fiddled with my hair, my mother's obsession with perfection still picking at me all these years later. I hated that word, perfect, but tonight it's what I wanted. I wanted Gladys to like me so bad because we were family. My first impression as an adult was extremely important to me. I must have tried on seven different shades of pink lipstick before my beau spoke up.

"Betty stop, you look amazing, and you know she will love you. She's the same woman that doted on you when we were small. You have nothing to worry about... Except she might ask you when the grandkids are coming."

I blushed. Near the end of high school, Juggie and I had a picnic under the stars late on a Friday night and we talking about the future. We were both really close to our siblings, except Chic who I had never got the chance to meet, so we decided that if we ever had kids, we would have two so they could be best friends like Polly and I or Jellybean and Jug. Polly had fraternal twins so it was fairly possible that could happen to me, too, since it ran in our family. _Family_. I had that with Jughead, but more than anything I was itching to build upon it. We hadn't talked about it recently but I figured maybe tonight would be a good time.

He zipped up the back of my peach dress. It was a bit formal for Pop's, but I didn't care. Juggie worked there for a few years back in high school so I was comfortable going there in almost anything.

He held the door open for me as I hopped into the truck he got from his dad when the motercycle phase hit FP. Sometimes we traded and Jug drove that, but I was more comfortable behind a wheel than handles when it was my turn to drive.

He kept looking at me as we drove to dinner and it made me feel as wanted as it made me feel nervous. I had butterflies in my stomach, both the romantic ones and the ones that come from nerves.

Ever the gentlemen, he escorted me in on his arm. Upon entering we were immediately put off balance when Jellybean Jones threw herself at us. She was in high school now and was almost as tall as her brother. He smirked down at her.

"I missed you too." Gladys stood nearby with a smile. "Mom, JB, you remember Betty Cooper. Betty, this is my mother, and my sister Jellybean."

"Of course, I haven't seen her since she was this tall!" I gestured to show just what I meant, causing Gladys to laugh.

"You weren't much taller than that yourself the last time I saw you." She smiled warmly at me and all the nerves thawed. "I saw how Juggie used to look at you. I always hoped you two would end up together." It looked like she wanted to say more but Jug shot her a weird look and she stopped herself. We sat down at a booth and soon FP joined us. We ordered burgers, fries, and shakes just like old times. This was actually the first time we had been here since we moved back, something that felt almost like a tragedy.

At the end of the meal, they each gave me a hug and told me they would see us tomorrow before they left to FP's trailer, something he had insisted upon even though Jughead had offered up our spare room. They would get a tour tomorrow, now that it looked somewhat decent.

Our night wasn't over yet, though, as we went to the Bijou to watch Rebel without a Cause for retro night. It was one of our favorites. After that we set out a blanket and gazed up at the stars. It was hard to imagine that we were just landing people on the moon at the time that Riverdale's dark side peaked. It looked so far away, like we achieved an impossible dream.

We were nostalgic and we talked about high school. Jughead told me he was pretty sure he had always loved me in whatever capacity he could understand at the time, and my heart swelled. I felt like such a moron wasting time with Archie when my very destiny was there watching from the sidelines the whole time. He told me not to feel bad, especially since I didn't know.

He told me that the fire at the old drivein had ignited a passion in him and that he never wanted to let me go. It wasn't in a possessive kind of way, it was purely romantic. Luckily I wanted to be with him forever, too.

I bit my lip.

"We once sat under these same stars on a blanket just like this and said we wanted two kids. Do you think we're ready to start a family, now that we've finished school and we're finally back home?"

"I think we're ready but I'd kind of prefer it if you weren't pregnant for this." He was fiddling with something, facing away from me.

"For what?"

"Elizabeth Anne Cooper, would you do the honor of confirming that I'm the luckiest raven haired man alive and agree to marry me?" The ring was gorgeous but not so big and expensive looking that he would be set back too far. I would have been happy with a zirconia ring but I wasn't surprised that he didn't settle for fake diamonds.

I launched myself at him, planting my lips firmly on his. They always felt warm and inviting. Eventually we broke apart for air.

"So is that a yes?" He asked between pants. He was smirking at me.

"Of course." I dove in for more. At one point he joked about it being hard to not impregnate me before the wedding after all, but we've always been careful after what happened with Polly.

He said he wanted to wait so no one could ever claim he was marrying me out of a sense of honor for our children. I could respect that and hold out a bit longer.

The wedding was in a chapel on the South side, and it looked stunning. Veronica was my Maid of Honor, after some pushing from Polly so V would be with Archie who was Jughead's Best Man. His dad and Kevin were his other Groomsmen and I had Polly and Jellybean as my other Bridesmaids.

Almost the whole town was in attendance, including Cheryl Blossom who was forever grateful for us solving her brother's murder, even if the guilty party was her own flesh and blood. Grandma Kathlyn was also there, sitting next to a blond haired man I could have swore I've never seen before though he somehow looked familiar.

Our vows were poetic and soon we were all celebrating at the reception. Juggie had set up an old projector and had movies playing in the background for the whole night, our one tribute to the old drivein that never got rebuilt. Pop's catered and we swayed to the music. Our song was I'm a Believer by the Monkees as it was so many years before, and we had our first dance to it, twirling about on the floor, with me giggling like a school girl. I was in love with this man and I belonged to him as much as he belonged to me.

At a later song I had someone tap me on the shoulder. Jughead sent the guy a dangerous look, but he just lightly laughed and held out his hand to my now-husband.

"Don't worry, brother. My name is Chic. Chic Cooper. It's nice to finally meet you, Mr and Mrs Jones." My gasp was probably audible from the other side of the room and I started to cry as I pulled him into a hug. Soon my mom and Polly came around and smiled at us.

"I've been looking for Chic for years. I came across mom's old diary once when I was hiding up in the attic and accidentally found out about him. Just found him recently, in Chicago of all places! So when you told me Grandma Kathlyn lived there, I asked her to bring him." Polly looked ridiculously proud for someone who had just incriminated herself in front of our overbearing mother. Mom didn't seem to mind, though. She looked happy.

"It's nice to meet you, big brother. I'm Elizabeth 'Betty' Jones and this is my husband, Jughead." I leaned up and gave Jug a pick up the lips and he squeezed my hand.

The party went on for hours and we found out that Chic was a government agent. Apparently he had also been looking for his birth family, but was losing hope as the years went on. I decided that if Jughead and I had a boy, while his legal name would be Forsythe, his nickname would be Chic.

At the end of it all, I could say that this was the best day of my life so far, but I was looking forward to all the adventures left to come. Mom officially gave us the trailer as a wedding present so we didn't have to look for somewhere else for our own place. All that was left to do was start a family, something we went to work on once we got to the honeymoon suite after the reception, and live happily ever after. After all, we went from Prince and Princess to King and Queen and finally husband and wife. We had our fairytale ending.

Fin II


End file.
